


The Forceful Bonds of a Power Ranger

by Cenobia100



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers R.P.M.
Genre: Almost Rape, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Romance, Sexual References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-14
Packaged: 2018-03-15 20:38:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3461240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cenobia100/pseuds/Cenobia100
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ziggy and Dillon learn the hard way that being mentally linked has some dangerous effects.  (Diggy)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Smoothies and Spandex

It started out just like any normal day. The Garage was busy with the hustle and bustle of Ranger life, what with the strenuous exercise that each of them went through in a day, although not Ziggy. He always floated about, watching the other rangers. And today, he was looking at Flynn. Seriously, Flynn made smoothies look like an art form, with finesse and simplicity. But when Ziggy went to have a go Flynn had left him with some rather touching words, "Touch my fruit and you won't make it out of th' kitchen."

Ziggy dragged his brown curls away from the kitchen, grumbling to himself. All he wanted to do was make a smoothie. Sure, the last time he tried to make a smoothie, he may have forgotten to put the lid on the blender, and he may have accidentally knocked over his concoction all over Flynn, while knocking all of his fruits to the ground. But it was only one time.... that month. The boy looked around, taking a look at what the others were up to.

Summer was reading a magazine? "Summer... You are doing something-" He paused as she looked up, one brow raised. His voice caught in his throat as he unsurely mumbled, "Girly?"

"Ziggy, you may not have realized, but Summer is a lady," Flynn laughed.

"Takes one to know one, Flynny," Ziggy grinned, spinning around to face the blue ranger.

"Flynny?" Summer giggled, brushing away her hair as she stood up, hand at her hip. "Seriously Ziggy, you could have called him anything, but you call him Flynny?"

"Don't encourage the wee lad!"

"Lad? I'm only a few years younger than you!"

"No wonder you don't recognise ladies when you see them then," Flynn grinned, turning to his prized blender.

The green ranger put a hand to his hips in a rather dramatic way. "I don't recognise chicks! They recognise me, especially since the green spandex shows off my figure so wel-"

**"IT'S NOT SPANDEX!"**

Ziggy jumped five feet into the air, whirling around to find a certain mentor doctor teenage genius glaring at him with her coldest, most icy, stare yet. He shrank away, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ah, Dr K... What I meant to say was that if it was green spandex, then it wo- I mean, of course it isn't spandex, they're using those fibres with the fancy names 'n stuff." She continued to glare at him, making him take a few steps back. "Oh look at the time," He nervously chuckled, motioning to his watchless arm. "I best be going!"

He ran up the Garage stairs quicker than he ever had before, not bothering to look back to see if she was still watching him. Something about her face told him he should lay low for a while... _'But where should I go to get away from K?'_

The answer came pretty quickly when a door to his side swung open. It slammed into his chest, knocking him backwards with a cry. He crashed to the floor, falling onto his back in time to see Dillon looking around wildly. He could see cold sweat dripping from Dillon's face, making him wonder what he'd just stumbled upon. Dillon seemed to be lost in his own world, not having noticed the poor green ranger who was fuming at him. "You know, doors aren't meant to be used as battering rams!" He growled.

The black ranger jumped for a moment, rolling his eyes when he saw Ziggy on the floor. "Well excuse me your worship. It must be my fault that you were lounging outside the door. We have sofas for that."

"Maybe my bed was more preferred," He countered, not feeling in the mood to banter. That door had _seriously_ hurt.

The older man looked at him, noticing how Ziggy was holding his chest. "I didn't hit you that hard did I, Zig?"The younger man merely shook his head, pushing himself up off the floor. That blow seemed to take out some of the fight he had in him, made him feel a little dizzy. So dizzy that he didn't realize he had stumbled straight into Dillon's arms. "C'mon Zig, you need to sit down for a mo-"

The sudden sound of the alarms sounded through the building. The black ranger quickly reacted, pulling Ziggy down the stairs, the green ranger following limply along behind him. A good fight was just what Dillon needed to calm himself down, and Ziggy could get his head screwed back on right when chucked out in the battle.

"Where we headed Doc?" Scott called, rushing over to his own sleek red car, hopping inside without a second to lose.

The others quickly jumped into their own cars, Summer revving her bike, while Flynn hopped into his jeep. Ziggy stumbled with Dillon over to the Fury, while Gem and Gemma both ran over to Flynn before he could drive off.

"There has been a breach in Sector E Twelve, although... That is strange. There only seems to be one attack bot being picked up on the radar. And no Grinders." Dr K quickly began typing into her computer, trying to pinpoint the signal. "There should be a park with a large parking lot next to it, that's where the attack bot is."

"Thanks Dr K, Rangers out!" Scott called, signalling for everyone to drive on out.

* * *

 

The drive down to the park was riddled with potholes and bumps that drove Ziggy up the wall. He loved Dillon's car, and Dillon wasn't that bad either, but his driving was so reckless that he seemed to hit every single hole in the road, and every time it would send a jolt of pain into Ziggy's head. He needed aspirin or something.

"Hey Ziggy, no falling asleep yet, we're kinda on a mission," Dillon yelled, making Ziggy jump slightly.

The younger one merely mumbled a rather incoherent reply, clutching his curls with a groan. The older one shifted slightly at the groan, turning for a moment to see just how the green ranger was doing. Ziggy looked a little messed up. He was clutching his head in a melodramatic way, looking at the dashboard, and Dillon knew that he had puppy dog eyes turned on.

"You can't make me feel guilty Zig," He sighed, drumming the steering wheel of his car as he sped along.

"But my head. It hurts soooo bad," Ziggy whined.

"And I'll make it hurt even more in a minute," Dillon grumbled.

"No you won't... I'm your bestest friend, remember," Ziggy turned, looking at Dillon with a small smile, although his eyes told another story. He actually was in pain.

"Bestest isn't a word Zig. I didn't concuss you or anything, did I?"

The green ranger merely shrugged, his head leaning back on the head rest of the chair. His thoughts began to wander as he contemplated burying his head into a freezer when he got back just to cool down the hurt. Maybe Dr K will have a ray that can cure headaches, or Flynn could make a really good hangover cure smoothie. _'I wonder if hangover cures work for headaches.'_

"Hey Dillon, do hangover cures work for headaches?"

"How the heck should I know?" The elder one snapped, not taking his eyes of the road.

He missed Ziggy's rather smug smirk though. The green ranger never admitted it, but seeing the brunette drinking with Scott and Flynn one of the nights before was one of the best moments of his life. He was so drunk, all of Ziggy's quips had been smashed upon him, and the morning after was something nobody could forget. Dillon, passed out over the kitchen counter, squashing all of Flynn's fruits, a can of beer at his side. He already had the pictures backed up on K's computer for his own nefarious purposes.

"Well, if a hangover is just a really bad headache, shouldn't it work? Or is there something different about a hangover headache compared to a 'Dillon on the rampage' headache. Both of them hurt, if you were wondering. It's j-"

**"Zig. Shut up."**

"Will do, frienderino," He nervously laughed, seeing Dillon glance his way with a rather mocking cold glare.

They never admitted it to the others, but Dillon really couldn't stay mad at Ziggy for more than a few seconds, and Ziggy never felt wounded by his comments either. That was what friends were for, right? It had taken them a while to figure it out, but after all their adventures together, the green ranger couldn't help but look up to his partner-in-crime. He was his saviour on a lot of occasions.

Getting back to Corinth, being let out of prison, defending him from the others when he was forced to bond with the Series Green Morpher. All Ziggy had done was save him from a fall off a building, and even then he thought they were both doomed. They were a little shell-shocked afterwards though, but it seemed like Ziggy had done something insanely small in comparison to the amount Dillon had done for him. It made the green ranger feel, both appreciated and wanted (Albeit a little guilty)... Especially when Dillon had gone with Dr K to save him from the Cartels that one time.

Initially, only Dr K was going to go with her sound cannon. Good ol' Benny, telling her everything. But then Dillon goes and vanishes on the others, just to help him. He should have been angry like Dr K for letting the older boy abandon his post with the other rangers. He should have been upset, like Scott was, that he had left without so much as a word... But no. He felt wanted by the man, and that was all he really desired. It was what he needed.

* * *

 

"We're here Zig, out of the car." He heard Dillon say.

Eyes that he didn't know he had closed, opened. He snapped into reality, noticing the others watching him with rather amused looks. Summer was giggling to herself, while Scott and Flynn both had their brows raised. Gem and Gemma were silently laughing in the background. That was when he turned, noticing he had his head rested on something other than the head rest. It was warm and comfy... He could get us-

"Zig, I know you like my shoulder, but come on..."

His eyes widened and he jumped away, feeling a bout of dizziness. Dillon was sitting there, a smile on his face as he wiped off his jacket where Ziggy had been resting. When had he rested his head on Dillon's shoulder? And why had Dillon just let it happen? They were best friends and Ziggy had no doubt on his mind that he would trust Dillon over everyone else... But this was plain weird.

"You know you liked it, Terminator," He quipped, sliding out of the seat, before getting out.

"You know what. I reckon you don't need th' ladies Zig, you got Dillon instead," Flynn laughed, Ziggy's face flushing.

"I was tired, Dillon assaulted me with a door, I was getting revenge," Ziggy breathed, clutching his curls for a moment. He felt the sharp pains again, but he ignored it for the time being. They had an attack-bot to find, and they needed to find it fast.

"Rangers, I've gotten a reading on the attack-bot. It's dead ahead, but there is something odd about its energy signature. It seems to have an unnatural energy source planted in its right blaster. I would try to avoid it if I were you, and if you do get hit, minimize the damage as much as possible." K's voice crackled out, Scott giving the signal to move forward.

Dillon held back with Ziggy, slowly walking behind him as they tromped through the small bit of forest near the border of the dome. The black ranger watched as Ziggy walked, carefully making sure to be behind him if need be. His friend was in bad condition, he really must have slammed that door that morning, but he was in a panicked frenzy at the time. At least he wasn't in " _Evil Dillon-bot_ " mode.

"Guys, I see it," Flynn shouted, pointing towards a clearing north of them.

When they burst into the clearing, Ziggy could not help but laugh at the attack bot. It was all multicoloured with its paint job, while having a really cylinder-like shape. It had really stubby legs, but it's arms were surprisingly long, twisting out into a pair of hand cannons. The one on the bot's right was glowing slightly.

"Ready," Scott called out, pulling out his engine cell. Everyone else nodded, giving the group 'ready' chant. "Alright then. _ **RPM! Get in gear!**_ "

The clearing erupted with a sudden burst of light as the group as seven all morphed up, Ziggy's headache reducing down to a minor annoyance, rather than a raging hindrance. His familiar green suit appeared, enveloping him in its power. Quickly, he summoned his Turbo Axe, watching as Dillon got his Rocket Blaster. They both were the first to charge forwards, heading straight for the attack-bot, when suddenly a group of Grinders burst from the bushes.

Summer and Scott quickly turned to take on the left side of Grinders, while Flynn, Gem and Gemma took on the rest. There was a lot of hacking and slashing going on, but the green ranger was too busy focussing on the attack-bot to really care.

"Take this," He yelled, swinging his Turbo Axe into its short legs, knocking it forwards.

Quickly, he rolled to the left, letting Dillon fire the Rocket Blaster at its face. The resounding impact forced the bot to fly backwards, landing with a mechanical crunch. Ziggy rushed forwards, ready to slam his axe down, when Dillon leapt over his back to fire more shots. The shots landed directly on the bot, causing parts of it to fall off. Was the battle really going to be so easy?

"Ziggy, let's finish off this tin-can," The older one shouted, Ziggy nodding as they formed their Turbo Plasma Launcher.

Dillon inserted his engine cell, as the two held the blaster, ready to fire. As they pulled the trigger, the bot quickly raised its right blaster, firing it towards the two rangers. The green ranger suddenly felt very cold as their attack slammed into the attack-bot, turning it to pieces. Then he heard Dillon grunt beside him, sounds rushing into his ears, painfully echoing. He could hear voices as his vision began to blur.

"What- Dillon?" The black ranger was clutching onto him, arms wrapped around Ziggy in a rather desperate hug. His vision slowly began to come to as he seeped into the hug, suddenly feeling very warm and very safe.

There was a snigger coming from behind him, then he heard, "Get a room, you two."

"S-Scott..." Dillon choked, everyone suddenly alert at the tone of his voice. He seemed hurt.

"Dillon! What's wrong, you sound injured!" A moment later and they all had demorphed, enough for Ziggy to see what had happened to Dillon. Right at his waist, a large black mark was showing, shimmering quietly. No blood was pouring from the wound, but Dillon felt hurt all the same. The green ranger turned to look at it when he saw Dillon's eyes looking at something. Himself... Looking down at his own shirt, he was surprised to see a similar mark.

"Oh god..." He whimpered. "What the heck was that?"

"Ziggy, are you and Dillon okay?" Their leader asked.

"That mark seems-" Gem started.

"To be all show." Gemma finished.

He had to admit they were right. The mark was there, but it seemed to not be doing anything, well, except for subduing his best friend and getting the black ranger to profusely hug him, something Ziggy was sure he would never do for anyone else.

"Well, Ziggy, you can go with Flynn, Scott can take Dillon." Summer looked at the two other rangers as they nodded quickly, moving over to help them. Nothing seemed wrong until they reached the cars. Ziggy got into jeep, while Dillon got into the leader's awesome car. But as they were driving back, Scott decided to speed ahead, leaving Flynn's vehicle a little ways behind.

The green ranger wasn't sure when it happened, but all of a sudden he was hit with a coughing fever. His head began to burn and the energy that his muscles had was leaving him. He knew something wasn't right, but before he could figure out what, his world turned to black.


	2. Measuring the Link with rope...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ziggy gets roped in by Dillon for a test.. *giggle*

His head was buzzing with pain as he finally began to come to. His eyes were burning and he felt like he'd just caught a fever. Groaning rather loudly, he heard the hushing of voices as he adjusted to what was around him, finally being able to see what was in front of him. The blue sterile laboratory met him, while most of the other Rangers were standing around his sides, each with varying degrees of worry. Dr K was looking at him from the head of the bed, her expression neutral.

Ziggy raised a brow. "What? I know I'm beautiful." Summer almost smiled at that, but Dr K merely shook her head in frustration.

"I don't understand this! The beam had to have affected his body's chemical cellular reactions, but he appears to be just fine, despite the state he was in when you brought the both of them in." Worry crossed the young man's face. _Both of them._ "Ranger Series Green, what do you remember from the energy that you were hit by earlier?"

Ziggy is silent for a moment, face deep in thought as he tried to remember the fight. There was the attack bot, it had used the blaster just as they had used their Turbo Plasma Launcher. All he could really remember was feeling horribly cold, out of breath.

"Why?" He asked quietly. "Because I need to know if this'll affect my date tonight!"

Scott chuckled at this. "Ziggy, I have a weird feeling you won't be dating anyone tonight."

"And why is that?" He just wanted to know what was wrong and then get some food. He was starving!

They all turned to their resident source of knowledge. Dr K rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Since none of you seemed to be listening, I guess I will have to repeat myself." She turned to Gem and Gemma, motioning for the two to step aside. As they did, Ziggy saw someone passed out on a table nearby him. It was Dillon. "It seems that both yourself and Dillon have been hit by whatever energy readings were coming from that mysterious blaster. Somehow, it managed to leave a mark on your skin - yet it kept everything about you intact. Except for your personal energy."

"My energy?" Okay, he was officially confused. And why was Dillon knocked out? He was the half-human half-Venjix here. Something was seriously out of whack!

"Yes. Your own energy, to move, to eat, to be active. It is like a leech. Only there is nowhere for the energy to go to. Just earlier on you passed out from a weakness in your muscles. But for some reason your vitals are fine now..." She trailed off when they heard movement from behind her.

It seemed that Dillon had woken up. Although, when he viewed the scene and his eyes hit Ziggy's own, the younger man could not help but feel a twinge of guilt. It was so sudden, almost non-existent, but he felt it.

"The vital signs just flared for a moment, Doctor K!" Gem motioned for the others to gather around. Ziggy pushed himself into a sitting position, turning to see how Dillon was.

His older friend seemed to be taking the hit rather well. Whether he had heard Dr K's explanation or not, Ziggy was unsure of; yet something seemed off. He could still feel that guilt, but there were other emotions too. Foreign feelings...

"Well, this is a rather interesting development," K announced as she strolled back over towards the two. "It seems you two are linked!"

Dillon and Ziggy merely looked at each other with a shrug before turning back to the girl. She was peering right at the two of them, an unreadable expression on her face.

Dillon was the first to speak up. "Linked? Do I want to know what that means?"

"Dillon and Ranger Green, you both were hit by the ray from the attack-bot. I can only theorize that the power it leeched in the initial impact from hitting Ranger Green was somehow transferred into you, Dillon. It seems to have created an imbalance in your own energy levels."

"An imbalance? That can be fixed..." Ziggy trailed off when he saw her look of confusion. "I'll take that as a no."

"I've never seen this happen before. Theoretically, your cells in your body react to the power level of your other link. You both passed out earlier because you had been separated for too long. For now, I've ran some tests and the only way to combat this illness is to stick with your link."

Ziggy groaned loadly, leaning back to stare at Dillon. "You mean I'm stuck with the _Terminator_ over there?"

"Hey, what's wrong with me? Least I can drive."

"I drove that buggy away from Tenaya pretty well when I first became a ranger, thank you very much!"

"That hunk of junk could have been driven by a five year old." Dillon smirked, looking at the Doc. "Zig and I will be fine."

K merely nodded. "You will need to stay out of battle until we can find some sort of cure for this... problem. And if you experience anything else, any pains or otherwise, you need to report them to me. I would like to see how far this link can stretch before one of you collapses and loses all bodily function." Everyone looked at her like she was insane. "It's so you both know your boundaries. I need my Series Operators in prime condition!"

Dillon pushed himself to stand up, taking a leisurely stroll over to Ziggy. "I'm sure we can figure that out ourselves. C'mon princess, I still need to check you for that concussion earlier."

Ziggy grinned, launching into Dillon's arms as he was lifted up. "Let's go somewhere else then, my prince, away!"

The other rangers couldn't help but burst into fits of laughter at their antics as Dillon firmly carried the green ranger out of the laboratory and into the Garage. Dr K rolled her eyes, moving over to the computers, while the other began to disperse.

* * *

 

"So... Explain to me why you're tying me to the sofa again?" Ziggy questioned, eyebrows raised at his link buddy.

The black ranger stood there, a large rope in hand. He had tied some around Ziggy's waist and was slowly uncoiling the rope. "What can I say, I've wanted to tie you up for a while."

"While I'm flattered, you overdid it if that's what you were going for," He replied with a smile.

"I need to make sure you don't move. In case you haven't noticed, you move. A lot." Dillon deadpanned.

When the others strolled in, seeing the tied up Ziggy, questioning looks were raised. Dillon merely rolled his eyes, gesturing to a measuring tape attached to the rope. "I just want to see how far apart we have to be to feel the effects."

Summer grabbed the rope from his hand, looking at Dillon disapprovingly. "Seriously, there are better ways to go about this than tying up Ziggy to a sofa!"

"He's wanted to tie me up for a while!" Everyone turned to look at Ziggy, Dillon's face flushing slightly.

"I didn't need that mental image," Flynn groaned.

Scott couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Ziggy was almost in silent hysterics, while Summer was holding her composure as she untied the youngest ranger. Once Ziggy was free, he quickly jumped up from his seat, feeling rather energetic, all things considered. He was about to bolt for the front door when he felt a large hand on his shoulder. "Ziggy, don't you dare." There was a slight playfulness to Dillon's voice.

"Dillon, just go walk outside, Summer and  I will hold Ziggy, Flynn can go with you. We'll see how long it takes for Ziggy to collapse." Ziggy felt the need to complain about this plan. Dillon and himself were the ones in danger of falling unconscious here. Not only that, but his head still felt slightly sore from earlier on (although Dillon had made quite the fuss in making sure there was no permanent damage).

Ziggy felt himself being pushed back onto the sofa, but if he was going to be a guinea pig, he was going to have some fun first. Before Scott or Summer could even think about sitting down, he let out a loud groan. "Oh, I feel _so_ weak!" He spread himself out across the sofa so nobody else could sit down.

"Ziggy, budge up," Scott grumbled. Summer looked at the scene with a small smile.

"Can't move. Too. Weak...." He groaned loudly again as he saw Dillon and Flynn stroll out of the door. "Need food."

Scott went to push him off the sofa, when suddenly he felt sick. His words got caught in his throat, his body seized up for a moment and everything seemed to slow down. He could register a feeling of pain in his head, anxiety taking root. He heard Scott gasp loudly, heard Summer's voice in his ears. He distinctly heard a voice from far away, the sound of a door opening. Then there was a silence. All he could hear was his breathing.

"Zi...y!" A voice broke into his mind, sounding muffled.

"W-ke Zig...!"

His eyes shot open. He suddenly felt his energy returning, everything getting back into place. The voice was coming from his right and when he turned, he saw the black ranger standing there in shock.

"That was not very fun," He grumbled, pushing himself up off the floor.

The others looked at him, then at the floor. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"Ziggy, you've been out of it for ten minutes." Scott could only offer a small sympathetic look at this, making Ziggy look down in disappointment.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've been feeling like crap for five," His link buddy said.

Summer sighed loudly at this. "You both need to be with each other at all times. Flynn and Dillon only got five paces from the Garage before he collapsed and you went into meltdown."

Ziggy groaned inwardly. He knew they needed to stick with each other to keep their energy up, but at that point he couldn't care less. He wanted to just flop there on the sofa and sleep! _Stupid attack-bot, being all technologically advanced and stuff..._ He closed his eyes for a moment, tuning out the others silently. He couldn't even tell what they cared about. Was it him? Or was it Dillon? He was still the weakest on the team - Dr K was adamant in reminding him - so this was just a massive excuse to get at him.

"Ziggy, did you listen to a word that Summer said!?" Scott grumbled, snapping him back to reality.

"Something about pancakes?" He knew if he said something stupid he could at least get away with feigning ignorance, rather than admitting he didn't give a damn.

"You are hopeless." Scott moaned, walking away from the sofa. He hadn't even noticed that Dillon was now sitting next to him.

"Zig, that was some important stuff that you just zoned out on." Dillon gave him one of his best brooding looks to intimidate the boy. It did its job, so Ziggy turned to Summer and waited.

"As I was saying, you both are going to be stuck with each other. As far as I can tell, the link will hold for you when it comes to being separated for showers, sleeping, etc. But for your daily routine, training and other activities, Dr K is recommending you stick by each other." He nodded to her instructions quietly, glad she had gone through the more embarrassing issues first. "Anyway, I bet you both will be fine. You're both like an old married couple," She laughed, walking away.

Ziggy took a moment to process that, "What do you mean married!?"

"Well, ya both argue about the cutest little things, and do I need to remind you of your wee exit from the lab yesterday," Flynn shouted from across the room, putting some strawberries into his next smoothie.

"We do not argue," Ziggy mock gasped, turning to Dillon. "Have we ever bickered before?"

"I don't know where he gets the idea," His friend laughed. He was too late to notice the arm snaking around him until he was pulled into a headlock. Dillon took the opportunity to ruffle the boy's curly hair, something he knew Ziggy hated. So naturally he was rather shocked when Ziggy dug his leg straight into his knee.

He released the younger one, cursing under his breath as Ziggy dived away from the sofa to run away. It was only when he reached the stairs that the familiar feelings of energy sapping began and he realized he couldn't exactly run. Although, it seemed to be less draining this time around.

"You can't run from me Ziggy!" He heard footsteps behind him, closing in fast.

"I sure as heck can try!" He grinned, darting up the stairs, knowing the other would have to follow him or risk the consequences. "What will all your fans say? The mighty black ranger can't even catch poor little Ziggy!"

He heard the steps behind him speeding up, he could feel the older one following him intently, but he wasn't going to get caught that easily. Not thinking, he quickly grabbed onto the handrail of the landing. "Don't even think about Ziggy!" Dillon was just behind him as he flung himself over the side and down into the lower level. "Ziggy!"

The younger boy landed on the floor in a crouched position, quickly looking up to see Dillon groaning as he moved back towards the stairs. "I've jumped off of trucks before Dillon, I know how to handle a fall!"

He quickly sped away from his position before Dillon could spot him, sliding underneath the only hiding space available. Scott's car.

"Zig? Ziggy! I know you have to be around here somewhere!" The older man circled around the main area of the garage when Scott walked in from the Training Room. "You haven't seen Ziggy have you?"

"How the heck did you lose him? You two can't **not** be in the same room together!" Scott gave an exasperated sigh, walking over to his car where Ziggy hid underneath, silently praying.

"He tried to run! I had no choice but to follow him, then he jumped off of the landing and vanished." From the tone of his voice, he could see Dillon was actually sounding somewhat worried, although the stress seemed more playful if anything. "I know you can hear me Ziggy! I will find y-"

The slamming of a car door made his blood run cold. "Tell me if you find him, I'm going out for some lunch," Scott's voice drifted from his car.

_Oh no..._

" **Wait!** Don't start the car! I give up, you win Dillon!" He scrambled out from under the car, just in time to see Dillon smirking triumphantly and Scott looking at him like he'd just stolen the Landsdown Diamond.

"You were _under_ my car!?" Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if Scott just punched him there and then. "What the heck were you thinking?! And why were you running from Dillon?" Ziggy tried to reply, but Scott kept going. "This isn't a game Ziggy! You are endangering both yourself and Dillon just because you want to run around a bit! How insensitiv-"

"Would you be quiet! Why don't you try being afflicted with a weird illness that stops you from doing practically anything for the entire day! But this isn't about the illness, you just don't like me, do you Scott! You've resented me ever since I became a Ranger, you're almost as bad as our _mentor_!" Ziggy stormed off up the stairs before Scott could even reply. "Well when you need me to form the megazord, you better come crawling."

There was a loud slam and Scott breathed a sigh of exhaustion. "Remind me why you put up with him?"

The joke turned sour as he saw Dillon looking at him coldly, before the black ranger stormed off after his friend. Scott shook his head in annoyance. He had stuff to do, it wouldn't do to dwell on Ziggy. Although, it was good to see he was growing a backbone.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think," He heard Summer say, seeing her walk silently into the room. She was holding a bucket and a sponge, her bike standing squeaky clean near her.

"Nothing I said was incorrect." He turned to hop into his car once more, boosting up the ignition.

"Nothing Ziggy said was wrong either." With that, she turned back to her bike, leaving Scott with his thoughts as he drove out of the Garage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems somebody out there likes the story! Thank you for showing your support. I hope you guys like how I portray the characters and whether I'm doing them justice thus far. 
> 
> I'm also in the planning stages for a full RPM fic based post-season. It'll be Diggy of course, but should be a lot more action packed and interesting than this fic here. 
> 
> ~Cenobia100


	3. So we care about each other...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ziggy and Dillon learn they are each-other's best councillors.

It was dark in his room when he slammed the door. He had left the blinds shut that morning and at the moment, he really couldn't care less about anything at that point. Was he justified in shouting at Scott's face like that? Would he have done that under any other circumstances? He wasn't actually sure... It just came out of nowhere. One second he's on the receiving end of one of their team leader's famous lectures, then he had snapped.

His feelings were still the same. He did feel useless, even more now because he and Dillon were unable to fight efficiently. But it did hurt having that shoved his face every time Scott bothered to look at him. The others had accepted him, trusted him, yet Scott was annoying. He was confusing, and Ziggy just didn't know why he bothered some days. He could just walk out of the Garage, get himself caught by the Cartels and they'd be done with him.

But something kept him grounded. _Or someone._

"Ziggy, open up!" It was Dillon, he sounded tired.

"Go away," He grumbled, sitting cross-legged on his bed, knowing the older one would barge in anyway.

And he was right. Dillon pulled the door open and looked inside seeing the younger one hiding on the bed. Looking at Dillon's face, the green ranger could see he was genuinely a little concerned. "You want to tell me what caused that whole thing out there?"

"It was nothing," He defaulted. He put on his best blank face, knowing he didn't want to talk 'feelings' right now.

"Don't lie to me Ziggy." There was warning in that tone, something he did not want to mess with. But he was feeling foolish at the moment.

He glared at the older one, "I said I'm fine. Get out!"

But Dillon refused to budge, moving towards the bed to sit down. Ziggy didn't stop him, but he certainly wasn't too happy either. The green ranger refused to look at his teammate, turning to face the wall of the bedroom.

"Zig... C'mon, you can talk to me you know." He sighed as the older one placed a hand on his back. Tensing up, he was rather surprised at the contact, but found he didn't actually mind it that much. He felt a little content, although when he remembered what Dillon was here for, his sour mood returned.

"Why should I talk to you?" It was a simple enough question. He didn't exactly like to share his personal thoughts, contrary to popular belief. And he certainly did not want Dillon to know. That guy was way too overprotective for his own good at times, and it made him a little nervous.

Dillon leaned back, the bed creaking slightly. "Because we're friends. I'm pretty sure that's what friends do you know."

Ziggy didn't reply to that. He didn't want to. His emotions were swirling around his head, all over the place. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but there was some confusion etched into his mind. There was something nagging in the back of his head, a small spark of anger, although it felt rather... odd.

"Fine. You don't want to talk, I get that. But you need to start talking sooner or later." He could tell that Dillon was staring at him. He just knew it. "I'm the last person who should be giving advice, but none of us want another _cartel incident_."

Ziggy buried his head under a pillow, trying to ignore the older ranger. Why wouldn't he just leave? He didn't care what would happen if he didn't speak, he didn't even know why he was so frustrated himself!

"You know... I was pretty mad at Scott when he started sassing you." His ears perked from underneath his pillow. Dillon had been on _his_ side. "I thought about saying something when you flipped. Honestly, Zig, you really proved you had a backbone there."

The younger boy couldn't help but chuckle silently at that. Maybe talking with Dillon wouldn't be so bad after all. "Really?"

"Yeah, you showed some strength there," His friend laughed. He pulled his head out from the pillow, turning to look at Dillon. The older ranger saw that Ziggy was more than a little frustrated from his slight glare he had gotten. Since when did Ziggy _glare_?

"I don't know why I did it..." He admitted, not looking Dillon in the eyes, staring at the floor. There was a pause before Ziggy took another breath and spoke again. "I just- there was anger. It just sparked, I can still feel it."

"You're still feeling it?" Dillon asked quietly, staring intently at the boy. "Maybe I sh-"

"Stay. Please... I need to get this off my chest," Ziggy groaned. _'Maybe this is my first step to actually talking with people, about actual relevant things.'_

Dillon nodded silently, Ziggy turning to face him. "Whenever you're ready Zig, I can't actually go anywhere really..."

There was a silence that hung across the room as Ziggy tried to collect his thoughts. Dillon knew something was off, something wasn't right. Probably because Ziggy would normally have talked him to death at this point. He was seriously thinking.

"That anger... It's not the first time I've had an emotion stuck in my head. Earlier, before you woke up, I felt guilty, but it was like it was foreign. Like it wasn't my own..." That sudden feeling of guilt in the lab had made him rather concerned. He never felt guilty. It was the same with trust, he almost never trusted people, until the Rangers of course.

"You too?"

Had he just heard Dillon right? Had the older one just confirmed that his instincts were right? "You mean-"

"Yeah. I felt that earlier. In the lab, I was feeling extremely guilty when I woke up... I couldn't help you. I'd gotten you stuck in a link with me." Dillon sighed, putting his hand to his temple in annoyance. "It gives me migraines from time to time."

Ziggy was surprised. Dillon had felt the same emotions he had. Only, it seemed Dillon had felt it much more strongly... "Wait. No..."

"What is it Zig?" He could feel Dillon's heart racing, they were so close. Or was it the link?

"I snapped at Scott. Shouted at him. What if my actions were from your emotions!" Dillon looked at him with a blank expression. He clearly didn't get it. "Okay, let me rephrase. You were angry, so it made me angry through our link; get it now?"

A moment of realisation passed on Dillon's face before he understood. "It'd explain the guilt... Why I felt so damned ready to kill Scott. You must have been pissed!"

Ziggy gave a small laugh. "You have no idea. I thought about running outside and letting the Cartels have their way with me."

He didn't expect Dillon to look so serious when he looked into the older one's eyes. There was no joking in them, he could feel it. _"You what?"_

"Scott obviously hates me. I probably wouldn-"

"That's not the point Ziggy. You are not handing yourself over to the Cartels!"

"And why shouldn't I?" The younger one snapped.

Dillon gave a loud tortured groan. "Because I would have to go with you, you idiot!"

That stopped Ziggy in his tracks. He actually had forgotten about what the link would do. He felt almost idiotic for even suggesting it. But something about Dillon's answer piqued his curiosity, he wanted an answer or two.

"You would have gone with me..." He said it quietly, almost whimpering it compared to their larger-than-life banter.

His friend was on the verge of banging his head against the wall. "Of course I would! You are my _best_ friend here! The only reason I'm here is because you wanted to stay and I'm having no luck finding my sister."

Ziggy was quite shocked by his answer. Since when had he allowed Dillon to affect him in such a way before? They were friends, yeah, but _best friends._ That was a concept he wasn't too fond of. Not with the betrayal he always got.

" _Best friend?_ " He asked quietly.

"Do I need to say it twice Zig? I care about you and I'm not letting the cartels get you at all! Seriously, without you, I have no reason to be here."

"Is that why you saved me from prison?"

"Is that why you stopped me from falling off the skyscraper?"

They both stopped for a moment. Just looking at each other silently for the few moments they shared. Ziggy was biting back the chance to run, realizing he and Dillon had gotten to a point where running just wasn't an option... He wasn't sure he could have ran even if he wanted to.

"So we care about each other then?" Ziggy asked, seeing Dillon nod slowly. He had to admit, the black ranger was right. Ziggy's soft spot for the big guy was ridiculous. "As friends of course," He added quickly.

"Obviously, you're the _only_ friend I've got," The other replied, almost in a whisper.

"The othe-"

"Screw the others," He growled, turning to look out the door. "They way they treated us initially was horrible Zig. You didn't deserve all that crap you got."

Ziggy merely looked away. Of course he remembered when he had been revealed to be Ranger Green. The others were shocked, Scott was appalled. But Dillon had stood up for him, told them how he was just as good of a candidate as they were. "Dillon, why'd you help me all those times?"

"Zig. Without you, I'd be out of gas, dying in the wastes. You saved my life by directing me to Corinth."

"But you saved my life by driving through the Venjix Barricade," He replied. He saw Dillon raise a brow in confusion. "What?"

Dillon shook his head, sighing. "It's you Zig. You can't take a compliment can you?"

"I totally can! I'm great w-"

"You have nice hair."

"It's curly and scruffy," He auto-replied, moving a hand to his hair before closing his eyes guiltily. "Okay, the big Venjix Hybrid has a point."

Dillon couldn't help but bask in the grin of his victory, when their eyes locked for a moment. Ziggy hadn't noticed, and neither had Dillon, but somehow between their talking and that debate, Ziggy was once again resting his head on Dillon's arm like he had in the car earlier. "When did that happen?" He heard the black ranger ask.

"I-I... Not sure," He admitted, not moving his head. "Not my fault your arms are comfy."

"My arms are comfy?"

"Learn to take a compliment."

He felt the arm move to whack him with a silly hit on the back of the head. Ziggy couldn't help the childish giggle as he looked at the older boy. Their eyes met each other once again, but this time it was different. The green ranger didn't know what he was feeling, but something had clicked for a moment. He hadn't realised they had been leaning in until-

The loud sound of the alarm made them jump apart almost instantly. Within moments they were both up, Ziggy shaking his head slightly while Dillon merely looked away. "C'mon, we may as well go help out in the lab..."

Ziggy followed nodding, silently wondering whether that had almost just happened.

* * *

 

The other rangers had already headed out when the two off-duty rangers arrived in the lab. They could see Dr. K was at her computer screen, typing furiously. She seemed to be rather worried, although Ziggy couldn't blame her. This was the second attack in one day. Venjix was seriously trying.

"Rangers Green and Black, shouldn't you be resting," She reprimanded, glaring at the two.

Dillon shrugged while Ziggy quickly said, "We were. We're just a little worried about the others." He turned to Dillon, wondering if maybe he should tell her about the link... He decided not to. Telling her about the emotional link could jeopardize her attention to the other rangers.

"Well stop worrying. Scott was attacked while he was out by Grinders but they're being taken care of. Just go to bed, it's ten in the evening."

Ziggy's eyes widened. Since when was it that late? It couldn't have been that l- "But it was light out earlier!"

"Malfunction in the system. It stayed out light for longer. You both do realize you had been unconscious for most of the day, right?" She was giving them her famous, _I really don't have time for your stupid nonsense,_ look.

"You guys never said anything. As far as I heard, we'd woken up soon after getting back to the lab." Ziggy turned to Dillon, watching the older one speak. There was something in his voice, something he was a little concerned about... It sounded forced.

"Well you were asleep for some time. Now could you please leave, before I make you rest!" Her eyes drifted to the sound cannon that the two boys knew about all too well.

They turned quickly and walked as fast, yet as sophisticatedly as possible out of the lab.

"So, when are we going to tell her?" Ziggy asked quietly, looking at his teammate.

"Tomorrow, or something. Look Zig, we don't know just what this link could do. It could be nothing, maybe she already knows." It wasn't like Dillon to make excuses, but Ziggy was all for it if he got to bed quicker. He was feeling a little exhausted.

Dillon noticed this and quickly pulled Ziggy along back to the bedrooms. Dillon dropped the green ranger off by his bedroom, almost pushing him to the door. "I'll see you in the morning Zig..."

"Try and get some sleep though Dillon. If this link's keeping us connected, I'll be able to tell when you're awake," The younger one said, grinning at his slight power over the older one. "G'night..."

As Ziggy closed his bedroom door, he didn't even notice Dillon looking at his bedroom wistfully before the older one turned to his own little shelter at the end of the hallway.

* * *

 

It was late at night when the green ranger opened his eyes. He could instantly tell that something was wrong. There was a strange pounding in his head, he felt hotter than normal... He realized with horror that he was having trouble breathing. ' _Oh crap! I need to find Dillon!'_

His breath was shaky as he clambered out of his bed and in his shirt and boxers, all green of course. He could feel his legs shaking quietly and his vision was slightly blurred. He reached his door with no fatal trouble, slowly opening it, but when he saw the darkness of the landing, he almost collapsed. He was fine a few hours before, but he wasn't sure what had changed.

_'Could the link be getting weaker?'_ That wasn't a good thought. If their link ran out before they found a way to unlink them both, they'd probably go catatonic in a week. It wasn't a nice thought, especially with Dillon as the other participant.

He took a few steps out into the hall, crossing to the railing overlooking the Garage. It was dark, he was in pain, he was scared. So he did the only human thing, he collapsed.

He felt himself thud to the floor of the hallway, making a rather resounding crack echo through the halls. He didn't even register a door opening and a silent gasp. There were footsteps, he felt arms pulling him up, suddenly making him feeling much better.

"Damnit Ziggy, what are you trying to pull, huh?" He heard Dillon growl silently. Ziggy didn't think about it. He grabbed Dillon with his arms and wrapped the black ranger in a hug. He clutched on for dear life, as if letting go would lose Dillon forever. The older man gave a rather surprised look. "Z-Zig... What are you doing?"

"My room- suffocating me," He choked out, gripping Dillon more tightly.

"But we tested the distance Zig. It should be fine," The older boy sighed, going to move Ziggy back to his bed. "Back to your room."

Ziggy resisted. A lot.

Dillon finally lost his patience after the fifth attempt to get the young boy off of him. He looked at the green ranger in annoyance. "What is wrong with you!?"

"The link's weakening," He finally mumbled. "I was too far away..."

The other's eyes widened and they both felt a shot of guilt flash through their systems, stemming from Dillon. "Shit. You mean you were-"

"Suffocating. Feverish, yeah," The younger one admitted. "Did you not feel anything?"

Dillon shook his head, but it was a lie. Ziggy could see that. His eyes didn't have the training needed to hide his true feelings, Ziggy had done it enough times to know. "Liar. I was honest with you earlier, so you better be honest with me."

The older man sighed, motioning for Ziggy to follow. They were heading back into his little green bedroom. He got a sense of Déjà Vu as they sat down on the bed again, this time Dillon being the one spilling the beans.

"I don't like talking about myself... I feel like shit though. I've been keeping a straight face so you wouldn't be worried. But I was a little late for that." He looked away for a moment before continuing. "Earlier, I said I cared about you. I can't stand to see you in pain, so I made sure I wasn't in pain so you wouldn't concern yourself with me. It'd just remind you of your own part of the link anyway."

"Idiot." Ziggy rolled his eyes and gave Dillon a playful punch to the arm. "Your pride almost got us killed."

"I'm sorry... Zi-"

"Apology accepted Dillon. You didn't do anything I wouldn't have tried to do." He looked around, seeing the Garage was still dark through the bedroom door. It was only then that he realized how tired he still was. "I need sleep though..."

Dillon nodded slowly, moving to leave. "Dillon, in case you forgot, that's what almost got us killed last time."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

There was a rather awkward pause as Ziggy looked at the black ranger. It was only then that he realized the man was almost shirtless. His buttoned shirt was almost undone and he was also wearing his own coloured boxers. His attention snapped back to the question, although they both knew there was really only one solution.

"My room or your room," He said to the hybrid.

"Yours, we're already here..."

"There's only one bed." _Way to state the awkward obvious Ziggy._

Dillon frowned. "You ever heard of scooching over? It's for this thing called sharing."

"Fine, I get the point," He said, hopping to the far side of his bed. He was lucky it was a fairly large bed.

To say it was an awkward affair was an understatement. Having to sleep in the same bed as the man you're emotionally connected to, while he's almost shirtless, wearing no trousers, while trying not to invade his space... Being a ranger was hard work. He knew they had a special bond, but this was a little over-the-top.

"Zig, would you stop worrying," He heard Dillon growl. "I'm not going to jump you in your sleep or anything."

The younger boy nestled himself into the pillow more, ignoring Dillon.

"G'night green," He heard Dillon whisper as he fell into the dreamland. But his fears remained, his dreams plagued by a shirtless Dillon and a store with tons of beds inside.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The link is always shrinking. That is how it kills it's victims. Although, linked victims are known to be at their happiest before they die- Sorry, this is Power Rangers. We can't use that word... Before they are eliminated. 
> 
> Hope you guys are still enjoying.


	4. Such Cute OMG!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dillon is clueless to Ziggy's rather affectionate advances, and Dr. K States the obvious!

It was really warm when Ziggy started to wake up that morning. He could feel himself nestled underneath his bed covers, relaxing quietly into his pillow. For once in his life, he actually felt a little refreshed. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about his sleep had just felt right. The room was just dark enough for him to relax, there was enough space for him to stretch out across the bed, the hands across his wa-

_'Why the heck have I got hands around my waist!?'_

He tensed up rather suddenly, his mind flashing back to the night before. Now he was starting to remember, the choking, finding Dillon, their talks. How he slept in Ziggy's bed that night. Although he was sure Dillon hadn't wrapped his arms around the younger boy when he was awake the night before. Maybe it was his overprotective nature shining through again.

_'How the heck do I get out of this?'_ He suddenly found his skin to be getting goosebumps. Dillon was practically spooning him, for crying out loud! If the others saw this, they'd never live it down!

Then again, Dillon was actually sleeping for once. This was a rare occurrence indeed, and Ziggy was sure he hadn't slept for most of the night before. How else would Dillon have investigated his little tumble in the hallway. No, this was probably the first time Dillon had slept in a long time. Was it wrong to just ruin that for the older one? ' _What am I going to do with you Dillon?'_

Ultimately, from a clock on the wall, he could see it was still only eight in the morning, and they weren't even on active duty. Maybe he could afford to sleep in a bit.

He snuggled back into the pillow, closing his eyes once more. It was only then that he noticed the slow breathing of his friend. Dillon's chest rose up and down ever so slowly, rhythmic in its movements. It was lulling... Comforting...

When Ziggy fell asleep again, he never noticed how his head was burrowed into Dillon's chest.

* * *

 

Dillon's eyes opened up rather lazily. Only to be hit with a head full of curls. There was a brief moment of surprise, but he remembered the previous night ever so well. He'd fallen asleep with Ziggy to keep them from losing bond energy, only to find himself insanely comfortable.

There was no explanation for it, other than the link. In any other scenario, he knew this would look awkward and disconcerting to the both of them. However, if Ziggy's sleeping head resting against his chest was anything to consider, it would seem he had the same feelings.

_'It's so peaceful... I haven't slept like that in weeks.'_ He had been plagued with nightmares over the past few weeks, and the only got worse after the Venjix Virus inside of him was discovered. He wondered how long he would have before it took full control, how long he would have before everything went to hell...

His eyes drifted to the boy curled up beside him. Ziggy, his best friend, his one true friend. Ever since he'd freed the boy from prison, they'd been stuck together like glue. He'd come to his rescue many times. Saving him from the first battle with Tenaya, defending his right to be the green ranger, helping him out in various battles. Ziggy had done the same for him. Without Ziggy, he knew he would have left the group long ago.

He'd jumped off of a skyscraper with no thought for his own safety just to save the black ranger. _'Why are you so confusing Zig?'_

The over-protectiveness in him just seemed to burst out as far as Ziggy was concerned. He wanted to keep that boy safe. Maybe he just liked having someone to steer along the right path, or maybe there was something interesting about a reformed ex-cartel member that also cared for children enough to steal five million in health supplies. Or maybe, just maybe, they were just good friends.

_'Yesterday though. Why was I telling him all of that? About caring about him and being honest?'_ He was baffled. Everyone he'd met thus far had only made his secrets harder to reach with their prying, yet the moment Ziggy asked, he delivered. What did it mean?

He didn't have time to ponder the question when he felt the boy beneath him stirring. It was only then that he noticed his hands were wrapped around Ziggy's waist. _'What was I thinking?'_

"Hey, Zig, wake up," He whispered.

"No..." The boy mumbled, digging into his chest even more. "My pillow feels so warm..."

"I'm a pillow now?" He asked amusingly.

"Watcha mean?" Did the young green ranger seriously not realise?

He grinned before saying, "You're sleeping on my chest Zig."

That got a reaction out of the guy. Suddenly, Ziggy had rolled over completely to the other side of the bed, wide awake. His curls were all messy, getting in the way of his eyes as he looked at Dillon, face flushed with embarrassment. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"You were comfy, so was I," He replied calmly, grinning at the small groove of their bodies in the bed.

Ziggy's face darkened even more with a shade of scarlet that Dillon didn't even know was possible to achieve. "I- you- wh-" He spluttered his words, not able to form a sentence. "Hands! Why did you have them wrapped around me?"

There was a pause as it was his turn to blush slightly. "I... don't know..."

"You don't know."

"I was asleep, alright! It wasn't my choice!"

Ziggy turned away, mumbling something quietly as he slid off of the bed. Dillon, being the overprotective curious hybrid he was, had to know what he'd said. "What was that Zig?"

"It was nothing..." Ziggy groaned, realising only too late when Dillon hopped off of the bed, shirt still unbuttoned, and cornered him by the dresser. "You aren't going to let me leave are you."

Dillon gave a rather evil smirk. "Tell me what you said and I'll think about it." He saw Ziggy place a hand to his head in stupid frustration.

"Well..." His face was scarlet before. Now it literally seemed like all the blood in his body was tinged in his cheeks. "I said I didn't mind the whole "arm" thing. It was quite comfortable, I mean... Ugh.."

"You... liked it?" The black ranger was surprised. It was only a temporary sleeping arrangement until a cure could be found for their bond, and yet Ziggy liked his defensive sleeping habits. "Zig, I'm pretty sure guys don't normally say that to their guy friends."

For all of his strength, he was way too blunt. Ziggy's face was suddenly downcast, and he knew he must have said something wrong to cause that. He felt the green ranger push past him to head for the hall door. "Since when were we traditional friends," He sighed, looking back at Dillon.

That was something! Ziggy normally would have bolted from the room when things got this awkward... The blush on his face was rather telling though. There was something extra going on here.

"Zig, I'm sorry. I'm just new to this whole thing..." He looked away for a moment, grabbing a pair of jeans that looked his size from the floor. He wasn't sure, but as he put them on, he thought he caught Ziggy staring... This was getting weirder and weirder. "Were you ju-"

"No! Dillon, just don't go there, alright."

"Zig, something's wrong, I can tell," He snapped. "So just tell me so I can help!"

The younger boy shook his head, turning towards the door. "It's not something you can help with Dillon. I have..." He paused, pushing his door open. "I just have a lot on my mind... Don't worry."

As Ziggy turned to leave, he was surprised to feel Dillon's arms wrap themselves around his waist again, pulling him back into the room. "Zig. I worry. A lot." The blunt remark got quite the chuckle out of Ziggy, who shook his head with a rather half-hearted grin. "But if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But you need the contact as much as I do right now, with this whole 'link bond' and everything. So get used to it!"

"Fine..." Ziggy sighed quietly. "Can we at least go get something to eat?"

* * *

 

The morning seemed to pass by in a flash. Venjix had not attacked the city so all of the rangers were up to their usual shenanigans. Flynn was blending away, Summer was working on her motorcycle, Scott was training in their training room, while Gem and Gemma were helping Dr. K to find a solution for Dillon and Ziggy. The last two, well, they were deciding what to do that day. If they couldn't fight, they needed something else to keep their minds from wandering too far.

"Ranger Green, would you stop moping, it's distracting," Dr. K's voice firmly said, broadcasting from her lab.

Ziggy looked towards the lab, eyebrows raised at the doors. She wasn't even in the same room as him and she was being bossy! "Doc, have you ever heard of a freedom of expression?"

"Just because you have some form of freedom, doesn't mean you use it to mope around like some sort of broodi-" Her voice cut out when Dillon looked up from his own thoughts. He had been brooding silently.

"Someone just call me?" He grinned. "Maybe we should brood together Zig!"

"Great idea Dillon! I can be the bad boy loner and you can be the wacky sidekick!"

Dillon thumped him over the head playfully. "Yeah right. You don't own enough black to be a bad boy!"

Ziggy grabbed a sofa cushion, slamming it into Dillon's legs before resting his head on it. The older boy looked on in amusement as Ziggy proceeded to use his lap as a pillow. "Totally bad boy material." But the green ranger was too comfortable just lying there, so when Scott and Flynn came to sit at the sofas with some of Flynn's smoothies, there were some questioning looks thrown their way.

"Do I want to know?" Scott asked, not meeting their eyes.

"Supposedly I'm not bad boy material," Ziggy complained from his make-shift bed. "I don't see why I can't be a bad boy. I have the looks, the charm, and Dr. K things I'm broody!"

"Do not!" Her voice sounded.

"Do too!" He replied.

"Do n- I'm not getting involved in this dumbing of brain cells," She groaned, walking through the lab doors to reprimand him, while also getting some apple juice. That stuff was like alcohol to her. Ziggy gave her a little wave, but she stopped short when she saw Ziggy almost curled up by Dillon's lap. "Dillon? Since when have you been so adamant about the physical contact of anyone near you, let alone Ranger Green of all people?" Her confused face was priceless.

Being the devious mastermind he was, Ziggy proceeded to snuggle closer to Dillon, watching as the others reacted in varying degrees of shock. Summer walked over as this happened, merely raising a brow. _'You better catch on Dillon!'_

He almost burst out laughing when Dillon slowly wrapped an arm around his chest in a protective way. If they were surprised before, they were seriously in shock now. "What?" Dillon asked innocently, a large grin plastered on his face. "Not my fault he's so demanding."

"Says the one with the arm _tightly_ wrapped around me."

"Would you two get a room," Flynn whined, sipping his smoothie.

"Been there, done that," Ziggy replied casually, gesturing to his bedroom door. Flynn looked like someone had just stolen his jeep, his eyes widened, face slightly blushing. Scott just smirked at this, letting out a small chuckle. "Although, that reminds me Doc, we think the link distance is getting shorter."

All of the chuckling in the room stopped there as a sudden tense atmosphere fell upon the room. Dillon could only nod in agreement, "I found him in the hallway last night. When we went to sleep, the distance between our rooms was perfect for us to sleep, but half way through the night it seemed to shrink."

"As I feared," She sighed, looking at the two with tired eyes. "Gem and Gemma are still searching for a cure. We managed to recover a piece of the blaster used to affect you, but we haven't had any luck." She looked down at the ground in defeat. "There are no more energy readings to be found. It all dried up before we could get the gun. But if Venjix knows how it affected you both, he may be inclined to send another robot with the same energy."

"How will Venjix know if it worked?" Scott asked, ever the one to question such plans.

K smiled for a moment, staring at the two linked rangers. "We send those two out for the day. If a Venjix spy sees you, they will notice the effects, and then we'll be sure the next attack bot has the same energy." She looked over to Dillon, who was absent-mindedly stroking the curls of Ziggy's hair. He stopped moments after though, blushing slightly.

"Sure, I'll take him out for a bit," He smiled, looking at the green ranger. "Hey, where'd you wanna go?"

"The moon," He replied lazily, pointing up at the ceiling. "The whole zero gravity thing seems fun."

"Well, if we make any advancements towards the production of spacecrafts heading for the moon in the next few decades, I will be sure to put you on the bottom of the waiting list," K said dryly, taking a sip of her apple juice. "Also Dillon, I think it would be best if you and Ranger Green share a bedroom for the time being. If the link is shortening, you will get more sleep when in closer proximity."

The two of them just burst out laughing, Ziggy lifting his head up to look around with a wide goofy grin. K looked at them incredulously, as they both replied, "Already covered."

Dillon lifted Ziggy up off the sofa, although he quickly pushed himself out of the older one's grip and to freedom! "I can walk Dillon." K rolled her eyes at the two, retreating to her lab, while Scott was making fake puke noises on the couch. "You okay Scott?"

"The cute is just too sickening," He choked out between laughter. "You guys need to get a room."

"Whatever," Dillon grinned, rolling his eyes. _'Me and Ziggy? I think I'm losing it. We're just good friends who happen to need to keep contact with each other throughout the day and night.'_ He paused for a moment, realizing that his little description did make them seem rather suspicious. "It's just the bond anyway," He laughed, not noticing Ziggy wince. "Right Zig?"

Ziggy paused for a moment, off in his own little world. "Y-Yeah... The bond... right..." He quickly shuffled away, not looking at the others as he hopped into the passenger seat of the Fury. _'Way to go Ziggy. You care about the guy...'_

As Dillon looked back to Ziggy, he felt something in the back of his head. It was another of those foreign emotions, one of Ziggy's. It wasn't angry, but there was definitely something bad about this emotion... _Regret._ "I'll ask him later," He sighed to himself, hopping into the driver's seat. Without saying a word, he started the ignition and rolled out of the garage, leaving three rangers standing and sitting in the dust.

Summer looked to the other two, a small smile on her face. "Ziggy likes Dillon!" She couldn't help but revel in their reactions. Of course Flynn seemed surprised, while Scott couldn't help but chuckle loudly.

"But Dillon's so thick sometimes," Scott groaned. "He hasn't even noticed Ziggy's pining for him."

"What about when he was stroking Ziggy's hair just then," Flynn pointed out. "He has to feel something back, no family would stroke each other's hair, and I haven't seen two guy friends do that ever."

The girl looked out of the Garage, pondering her little discovery silently. "I think we should give them a helping hand." She turned back to the other two boys, a large grin on her face. "We have work to do!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They are so shippable! Also, am I the only one that sees Summer as a complete match-maker (Considering I imagine her and Gem hooking up)?


	5. Danger in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning - This chapter contains very mature themes. If the concept of "rape" is something you do not wish to read, proceed carefully. Although there are no graphic scenes, there are suggestions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4000 Words... Big chapter, I'm being way too generous...

"Would you stop thinking about food Zig?"

"It's not my fault Dr. K kicked us out of the Garage before brunch!"

"She isn't kicking us out, it's just a mission, remember."

"And I can't do a mission on an empty stomach Dillon!"

The two rangers had long since abandoned the Fury for a walk in the park. The sun was shining, the grass was green, children were playing in the fields and everything seemed to be pretty peaceful. Corinth really was good at keeping the hopes of kids alive, giving them a great space to learn and play in. Ziggy and Dillon had already passed a few groups of kids who insisted on attempting to do their best impressions of the rangers, poses and all.

It ended up going rather hilariously, some kids landing on the floor from dizziness, others trying to replicate Flynn's accent. Something about an American boy trying to replicate a Scottish accent made Ziggy giggle, while Dillon bluntly raised a brow at the young boy. This had gone on for a few minutes before they decided to head down a less used path, in order to have some peace and quiet from the crazy kids.

It was only when they sat down for a rest in the shade of some trees that Ziggy had mentioned he was feeling famished beyond belief, and Dillon's feelings on the subject were less than kind.

"You can live an hour without food!" Dillon rolled his eyes at the green ranger, who was lying beside him, staring up at the sky.

Ziggy didn't reply, pointing to one of the clouds in the sky. "That one looks like a pizza..." Ziggy was torturing himself with food, something Dillon knew would get old real fast.

He'd been on the wrong side of Ziggy before when it came to food and there was no happy ending. It started with a burger and ended with him and Scott wasted in their kitchen. Somehow Ziggy had convinced him to buy alcohol... strong alcohol. Even with the robotic enhancements, there was only so much dignity he took from that night, and that was almost non-existent. "And that one looks like a cloud," He grumbled.

"Wow, does your bluntness just come naturally or do you have to work on it, like your pouting?" He nudged Ziggy playfully in the arm, grinning away. "Alright, alright, Mr Broody."

"I do not brood. I pout with dignity," He replied in the most condescending voice he could muster.

"You gave up your dignity that night I got you drunk," The younger one replied, turning to look at Dillon with a rather goofy smile.

Dillon cringed at his awakening the next morning - the counter-top would never be the same again. "I don't think Dr. K has let any of us off the hook for that one."

"If I recall correctly, her exact words were, "You are all the last defence this world has to offer, and if you act like primitive apes again, I will have no choice but to show you the effects that your drinking has on everyone around you."

"Then she showed you guys that slideshow," Ziggy chuckled, remembering the event with glee. "You guys wouldn't go near a bottle for days!"

A shiver went down his spine at the mention of those images. "She forced us to watch horrifying stuff Zig!"

"Grandmas talking about adult actions can hardly be conside-"

" **NEVER SPEAK OF IT AGAIN!** "

* * *

 

The rest of the afternoon passed in a rather relaxed silence as they rested in the park. Ziggy had drifted off to sleep a few minutes ago, his need for food replaced with his need for a nap, leaving Dillon as the pillow yet again. The sound of the wind in the leaves of the tree above them was rather relaxing to the older boy, but  he stayed awake. He didn't want to be caught off guard or anything.

In an attempt to find something to do, his hands had already gone to messing with Ziggy's hair as he rested his head on Dillon's chest. His hair was soft, yet really springy, seemingly unable to be tamed. And they had tried.

At Summer's arranged wedding, they had all tried to get his hair into a tidy combed look, but it was impossible. It was a mop of crazy hair that took after its owner. The younger ranger was often unpredictable, over the top, yet soft when it came to his true emotions. He was always so optimistic, something Dillon couldn't help but envy slightly.

He could get a short buzz of Ziggy's upbeat mind through their link, but other than that, he was still clueless as to how Ziggy was always so calm and ready to tackle situations, even if his fighting style was the most unorthodox and unbalanced combination of clumsiness and skill. It worked surprisingly well with Dillon's own style of _'Hit everything and smash with power'_.

"You are one weird friend Zig," He whispered, pulling the boy closer to him.

He watched as the frown in Ziggy's face began to decrease. The closer they were, the calmer they seemed to be. That was obvious, yet Ziggy seemed to benefit from it much more than he did (Although he wasn't complaining). Maybe the other was enjoying it on a more subconscious level, a need for contact with someone... anyone.

Ziggy had kept it hush-hush, but Dillon was the only one that had seen Ziggy in his weakest states. Whenever they would come back from a long Venjix fight, Ziggy would go to his room and not come out for hours. Dillon prided himself in being the only ranger allowed in the green ranger's room at those times. They would sit there and talk about life, about the battles and how to keep on fighting.

* * *

 

_"My parents dumped me at the orphanage when I was six... I was always ignored at my orphanage as a kid... Always wanted to be noticed, but no-one cared." The voice of Ziggy echoed in his mind, making him drift back. Ziggy's room, with a rather tearful Ziggy... This was the first time he had cried in front of Dillon._

_Ziggy was sat on the bed, just staring at the floor, when suddenly tears just welled in his eyes. He looked up at the black ranger, a look of fear in his eyes. A fear of being weak. Yet Dillon had made an effort to help the poor boy. He needed to vent. Tears dripped onto his shoulder for a few moments, the iron grip Ziggy had pulling them so close together._

_"I ran away when I was fifteen. I couldn't take it anymore, people ignoring me, treating me like a ghost. Hated ghosts ever since..."_

_That explained why he had been so angry with Flynn's suggestions on what Gem and Gemma were before they had formally met the duo. Dillon had just pulled him tighter, actually taking control of the hug._

_"Worked for the orphanage for a few years and then moved onto Fresno Bob when I was an adult. The rest got me here, with the medical supplies and the 'Mugging you' incident." There was a little chuckle as they recalled their first meeting. In the middle of the wastes, one guy with a giant piece of a car, one really badass venjix hybrid. Who would have guessed that the younger guy would be spilling his feelings so readily._

_It was like a switch had been flipped. One moment, Ziggy was talking about his feelings, the next minute he was right in front of Dillon, eyes widened in some sort of fear._

_"You're my best friend Dillon! Please, don't leave me too! You won't abandon me! Will you!?"_

_"Of course not Zig, I didn't abandon you in Jail and I won't start now... I'm your friend."_

_The room suddenly darkened, Ziggy's hysterics ringing in his ears. The boy was now clutching him, holding onto the older boy with an iron grip. "I can't go back! I can't go back! I failed them, they'll hurt me again!" The sounds of his sobbing only helped to make Dillon wrap his arms around the younger boy._

_"Zig, don't cry man. I'm not leaving, I won't let them get y-"_

_"They don't care Dillon!" He growled. "They'll just hurt you too... I can't... I won't let that happen!"_

_This conversation was breaking down fast. Ziggy was horrifically spooked, he was convinced that he'd get attacked and the others would suffer for it. No, he wouldn't allow it! Nobody was getting through him, nobody!_

_"Dillon!?" He looked at the younger boy who was clearly panicking, the room turning a crimson red. The walls seemed to devolve into a mass of red flesh, leaving the two boys caged in a dark and festering room of horror. "No! Don't hurt him! Dillon!? DILLON!?"_

* * *

 

His eyes snapped open in shock. Cold sweat was dripping down his face, fear etched into his eyes. Everything was dark, blurry. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. Suddenly there was light, a jacket landing with a thud next to him.

"You're awake." He turned to see Ziggy sitting by the tree, huddled in a curled up position by the trunk. "You were mumbling in your sleep when I woke up, thought you might need the jacket for a cover."

"I'm fine," He sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Just had a rough sleep."

Ziggy was beside him in an instant. "You look pale Dillon. Whatever nightmare you were having-"

"I said I'm fine."

The younger boy shook his head with a quick roll of the eyes. "You realize that our link is telling me you're fucking scared, right!" The younger walked away from the tree for a moment, clutching his head in annoyance. "But I can't help if you won't admit the problem!"

Dillon looked away for a moment, sighing. He had forgotten about the link for just a brief moment... Now it dawned on him just how much their thoughts were bleeding into each other. He had found it odd that Ziggy had woken up before him...

"Why do you always have to do it alone Dillon?" He looked up at the boy, hearing his voice raise. "What makes you so special that you feel the need to not let anyone into that head of yours? _I trust you!_ But it's obvious you can't trust me back!"

"Zig, I-"

"Don't _Zig_ me Dillon! If we are best friends, as you seem to claim, why is it that you still can't trust me? You won't talk to me, or anyone else! Not until either something bad happens or someone forces you to speak out!"

"Would y-"

" **NO!** I will not stop for you!" His eyes widened; Ziggy had known exactly what he was going to say. "I want to help more than anything Dillon!? You are always helping me, saving me, keeping me out of trouble, but I can't even do anything for you!"

"You saved me from the skyscraper," He pointed out, taking a step towards the boy.

Ziggy merely grabbed the curls of his hair, pulling it in frustration. "You don't get it! You have done so much more than me! I want to help out, to feel needed for once in my miserable life! But what do I get at every turn? ' _Sorry Ziggy, I don't like you.' 'Keep away from my fruits, mate.' 'You are not a qualified ranger and probably never will be.'_ You were the only person that I could hope would accept my help, or at least let me try! I guess I was wrong..."

It was only a few seconds later that Ziggy just tore away from the clearing, racing away through the undergrowth and away from Dillon. His eyes widened in shock as he held the jacket of his teammate in his hand.

 _'I should have known...'_ He had known about Ziggy's insecurities. Everyone knew. But nobody could have guessed how all of Ziggy's attempts to do good would end in bottled up emotions. He wanted to run after the boy, but he knew Ziggy needed some space...

 **"Ranger Black! Why have you separated from Ranger Green?"** The voice of Dr. K crackled through his morpher.

He quickly pulled it out, "Ziggy just had an emotional meltdown." _'No thanks to you, Miss Condescending.'_

**"So? I fail to see the relevance of Ranger Green's mental state in regards to his location."**

"He needs time alone Doc, he's seriously upset." He paused for a moment, wondering just how far Ziggy had gone. He then looked at the morpher before adding, "He just wants to help out. But nobody lets him..." _'I don't let him.'_

**"He defends Corinth. That is a very exemplar way of helping ou-"**

"You don't get it Doc! He means he wants to help all of us out. Even with tiny things, he just wants to feel _wanted_ for once! But you wouldn't know, would you. You don't give him the time of day!"

He heard another voice crackle into the transmission. _"Dillon! You are out of line."_

"You can shut up as well Scott. _You don't know anything!_ You guys never noticed the times when Ziggy would lock himself away for hours after fights. You guys never noticed how when he came back down his eyes would be stinging and red."

_"Dillon, lis-"_

"No! _You_ listen! That kid has been through hell and back! He got abandoned by his parents at six years old, he was ignored and beat up by other kids! Then he runs away and joins the mafia, where when he failed a job, they beat him up! He was taught to help out, to do his best for others, since if he didn't they would just hurt him!" He paused, not noticing the tears streaming down his face. He didn't care, he knew better than them! "So he meets me, I actually pay attention to him! Give him hope, even come back to save him from getting killed in that prison! And when he selflessly follows the orders to keep that green morpher safe, you guys treat him like shit for weeks!"

There was a silence on the other end of the transmission, but he could hear their quiet breathing. They were listening. "He just wants to fit in, to be wanted by us. We're the only family he's got, and you guys are so stuck-up with your initial trio that you just don't care!"

 **"Ranger Black..."** He could hear K's voice was shaky. He could hear the tears in her voice. **"Dillon... Go and retrieve him... Go and get Ziggy."**

 _'Did she just... Did she just call him by his name!?'_ He looked out in the direction Ziggy had gone. The morpher had gone dead, K and the other rangers were already off of the frequency. He needed to get to Ziggy quickly!

* * *

 

His morpher continued to track the boy through the woods. Ziggy had gone as far away as possible, and Dillon was having trouble trying to reach him. All of the trees stretched out high into the dome, which he was nearing the edge of. This forest seemed to end at the dome's edge, leaving Dillon at a loss.

As he walked into the clearing by the dome's wall, he looked at his tracker once more. The boy was nearby, but Dillon couldn't see or hear him. His eyes scanned around the area, noticing the leaves on the ground, the dome's wall to his right... Then he saw something odd.

A small metal wrung was sticking out of the floor by some rather crunched up leaves. He quickly moved towards it, brushing some of the leaves off to find a small door in the ground. "What are you doing Ziggy..."

He pulled open the door, noticing a small metal ladder leading into a tunnel. As he slid down the ladder, he left the door open to get some light, but he was surprised to find some oil lanterns lighting the path. It was a small maintenance tunnel that led in the direction of the dome's wall. He quickly hurried down it, noticing a lack of any other paths. It simply led straight... As he reached the other side, he gasped.

There were a group of men, all from the cartels by the looks of them and their black suits, crowded around something. _Ziggy._

"Now Hector, we really don't need to do this, right. Ghosting a Power Ranger doesn't look good in the press!" The boy silently mumbled. His talking didn't sound as confident as it should have, Ziggy was still drained from their argument.

"Ziggy, my friend. I'm not going to ghost you, Fresno Bob wants that honour himself." The leader, a dark haired, broad shouldered, balding man laughed out loud.

"So you're going to let me go?" Dillon knew the answer to that, and he bet Ziggy knew as well. He quietly ducked down, slowly moving towards them. He couldn't morph, it would give him away, but hopefully he could get close enough to them to just knock them out.

"You're funny Ziggy. No, I can't do that... I'm going to punish you..."

He heard Ziggy get grabbed and saw Ziggy's eyes in the darkness. They were scared, vulnerable. "Hector, nonono, please!" He heard a slam. Ziggy was pinned against the wall.

Dillon wondered what was happening, when he heard the sound of a belt buckle. Ziggy was whimpering in fear. "I'm gonna enjoy this, Ziggy boy." Everything fit into place, he realized exactly what was about to happen! He needed to stop it!

" **Ziggy!** " He shouted, screwing the hiding and rushing straight towards them.

The group all turned to see Dillon rushing towards them. Hector merely looked at him with annoyance, motioning for a man close to Dillon to draw something. A gun. "Knock him down."

Dillon felt the bullet hit his leg, making him slam into the ground. Blood began to seep onto the floor from his wound, causing him to grunt in pain. He felt arms hoist him up, but he was in too much pain to pay much attention, until he heard a voice.

"Dillon!" Ziggy was screaming as somebody covered his mouth.  That scream that had sounded so familiar to his dream. The dream Ziggy was right, they really did hurt him to get to Ziggy.

"It's the black ranger. Not so tough bleeding out," Hector grinned, waving his hand. The ones holding Ziggy released him, dropping the younger boy to the floor with a kick to the stomach.

Dillon could only watch in horror as Ziggy lay there, unable to do anything through his own pain, except watch and cry. "Don't hurt him," He growled. "I'll do anything, just don't hurt him!"

The cartel members all began to laugh, making Dillon cringe away. He wanted nothing more than to be back at the Garage with Ziggy on the sofa. Their day had changed so much... "What are you, his boyfriend or something?" Hector taunted, looking between them. "The way you both look at each other, says it all really. You don't seem to understand though. Ziggy stole five million, that's not something easily helped."

"Just let him go! Take me instead." He saw Ziggy's eyes widen in horror.

"No Dillon!" He scrambled forwards, getting a kick in the side.

"Why the hell would you put that low-life scum over yourself?" The boss growled, watching as the two men pinned Dillon against the wall.

He wasn't stupid. He knew they would beat him up, hurt him... But to go as far as rape. That was low even for the Cartels. But if he get save Ziggy of that fate, then it would be worth it. "Because _I_ am his friend, and he means more to me than anything else right now!"

"What a waste... Well, what am I going to do now boys? He just spoiled my fun with Ziggy... Maybe he's volunteering..." The sneer coming from Hector was stomach-wrenching. But Dillon didn't struggle as he was pressed against the wall. He didn't expect Ziggy to swing for Hector while the attention was focussed on him. It was a pity that it went wrong and within seconds, Ziggy found himself up against the wall next to Dillon, breathing heavily and raggedly. "Ziggy, are you that eager for punishment? Well, if you insist - Joe, you're up."

"NO! You promised!" Dillon growled, trying to struggle out of his restraints.

"I said I'd let him go, I never said he would get out without any punishment." There was a laugh as he felt an anger swelling up inside of him. He wanted to move, but his leg was causing him so much pain, and Ziggy whimpering next to him wasn't helping much either. "Time for some fun...."

He could feel his jeans being tugged at, his fear suddenly escalating. He tried to wrestle out of the grips of the various people holding him, but it did him no good. Ziggy was now sobbing next to him. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered, just quietly enough for Ziggy to hear.

He saw the boy meet his eyes, telling him everything he needed to know. It wasn't their fault... "Dillon..."

Dillon felt the cold air on his skin, shivering in disgust as the man behind him rumbled a sadistic laugh, one he wouldn't soon forget. He could feel something, oh god... He could feel it-

**"Dillon! Ziggy!"**

He felt himself fall to the concrete, hearing a thud beside him. He winced, seeing Ziggy next to him, crying out in fear. The sound of gunshots echoed throughout the narrow corridor, but within moments it was obvious that the cartel groups were falling back. Even then, they were in the middle of a war zone, and there was no way he'd be able to stand up and fight. "Dillon, I'm gonna pull us to the wall," He heard Ziggy whisper close to his ear.

Dillon felt warm caring arms wrap around him, pulling him away from the violence towards the wall. Once he felt the solid brick behind him, he turned to Ziggy, seeing the boy had tears in his eyes. He looked so hardened though... There was a fierce determination in Ziggy's eyes, something that made him look much older than he was.

They looked at each other for a few moments, sudden emotions stirring in the both of them, unrecognisable emotions that made them both do something unthinkable. Within all that trauma, the screaming and the battling, there was just Ziggy and Dillon.

The black ranger didn't even think. He knew he needed to do this, he didn't know what would happen, but they both needed this. He leaned towards Ziggy, pulling him close, when their mouths met. His lips pressed against the younger boy's own with a passion he didn't realize he had. The frustration, the fear, he forgot it all, melting into the kiss.

There was a brief moment of shock as he felt Ziggy's lips moving across his, kissing back furiously. Dillon felt his arms wrap around Ziggy, pulling him close, deepening the kiss between them. They were both lost, hidden in the sensations and away from the world.

Something seemed to fill itself out. A piece of them they didn't even know was missing had just clicked into place... From that moment on, they knew deep in their hearts and minds that they needed each other.

When they finally broke the kiss, gasping for air, their faces were flushed and dazed. They heard voices, holding each other tightly as Dillon felt himself going faint. His leg was burning, his eyes were watery and the tears streaming down his face were enough to tell it all.

"Dillon! Ziggy!" They turned, hearing their names. The familiar voices made them smile quietly, Dillon pulling Ziggy close to him as they saw the other rangers rushing down the tunnel towards them. He saw Summer look at his leg in horror, he felt Ziggy go limp in his arms, seeing the boy faint, and within seconds he had gone off to dreamland too.

 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (As I said, the rape never happens. It's more insinuated... Sorry if it was too much)
> 
> FINALLY! Who knew good 'ol traumatic events could get them together. But don't think this is the end of the story, oh no, the link is still there, and while it's effects have lessened, it's still ready to strike.
> 
> The only reason the link didn't go off badly this chapter (When Dillon and Ziggy were super separated) was simply because they were so hopped up on each other's emotions, there was a tolerance to it. The bond is strengthened by emotions (And love is pretty much unmatched as a power source).


	6. A Team United

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group reflects on their harsh treatment of Ziggy, and the two kiss - In front of them all!

There was a silence among the lab when the Rangers had returned. Dillon was bleeding badly from his leg, while Ziggy had fainted from the trauma of the events in the tunnel. It had been unsettling as they picked up the Fury from the park, Flynn volunteering to drive it back. They had looked at the vehicle, wondering just how the day could have gone so wrong.

"How could we have been so stupid," Summer had whispered as they placed the two unconscious Rangers in the lab with Dr. K. She was beating herself up about it all. Dillon's earlier message had shaken the entire band of misfit Rangers to the core.

Scott silently sat on the sofa, staring at the blank television screen with a sigh. "We shouldn't have let them go out."

"I want to know how the thugs found 'em," Flynn mused quietly, watching the lab doors, worry etched into his expression. "We can't just let this slide."

There was a silence between the three as they all thought about the same thing. Running through the tunnel, morphed and ready to fight, only to see their teammates seconds away from a fate worse than death. Scott was furious, he'd gone in guns blazing, firing his blaster at the thugs without remorse. Flynn had knocked out that guards nearer to their friends with his nitro sword, while Summer was picking them off as fast as possible.

They had made short work of the group, but the fact that the group had tried to pull such a crime against the Rangers... It was unthinkable.

"If Dillon hadn't told us..." Summer started, looking silently at the ground. "I don't want to think about it." She could feel a few tears welling in her eyes. "They're family Scott, I can't imagine them-"

She was cut off as the red ranger had gotten up and pulled her into a hug. He rubbed her back silently as she let a few tears fall into Scott's shoulder, the leader almost getting set off as well.

"I know it's hard Summer," He whispered. "But we will get through this."

"He's right ya know." Flynn strolled over to them, motioning to the lab. "They've got Dr. K looking after them. The most we have to worry about is Dillon's leg, and we've seen worse."

"It's not the leg I'm worried about," She choked out. "Dillon and Ziggy are both going to be scarred from that!"

That was something none of them could avoid. The close call would be an issue of much contention, and the pair would need all of the help they could get, even if it meant smothering them in affection for a little while. "Dillon will be more trouble. He's such a brooder," Scott pointed out.

"Nah man, Ziggy's a wee bit more secretive. But, I saw something you guys didn't when we were fighting," Flynn grinned, the other two turning to him curiously. "While I was fighting one of those goons, I helped cover Ziggy as he dragged Dillon towards one of the walls. They sat there staring at each other in shock, and I only looked away for a second, then I turn back."

Summer looked at him as he paused for dramatic effect. "Not the time for drama, we've had enough of that," She grumbled.

"I was getting to it! I turned back to find them locked together at the mouths," He smirked, Scott's eyes widening, a small smile appearing on Summer's face.

" _I knew it!_ " She couldn't  help but squeal slightly. "I guess maybe they'll help heal each other then..." She had a point, Scott had to admit. The two had gone through the same experience, yet if what they choose to take out of it is their love for each other, who was he to judge.

The familiar sound of the lab doors sliding open made the group turn, seeing Gem, Gemma and Dr. K standing there. Dr. K was motioning for the three of them to come in, something she rarely did during examinations. They walked into the lab, seeing the medical table had been pulled out. Dillon was lying there, the bullet that had been inside of him sitting on a metal tray next to him. Somehow the wound had healed tremendously, although they couldn't afford to have him put too much weight on it.

"Since he's half Venjix, I used an old serum made to fix up computers. His mechanical implants helped heal the actual wound, but it could split," Dr. K stated, sounding incredibly relieved.

"And Ziggy's okay too, although-" Gem started with a smile.

"He's been mumbling Dillon's name a lot." Gemma finished, pointing at the sleeping green ranger, who was on a small hidden sofa nearby the back of the lab.

The three rangers breathed a collective sigh of relief at the news, glad to see that Dr. K lived up to her title. Summer quietly strolled over to Ziggy, who had multiple cuts and bruises along his arms and face. He seemed so much younger when he was sleeping, but the trouble etched on his face was enough to tell anyone that he'd seen some stuff.

"Rangers, you didn't exactly explain to me what happened down there." They turned to K, who was looking at them with a confused look. "I mean, the wounds were obvious, but by the way you've been acting, it seems that something more is going on."

There was a silence in the room as they realized that in the chaos, they hadn't filled Dr. K in at all. For all she knew, they got into a fight and lost. She didn't know what had almost occurred. She was holding her clipboard, pen in hand, waiting silently and patiently for someone to say something. Only nobody did. Nobody wanted to be the one that broke the news...

"Well? If something else happened, I need to know. As your mentor, I need to know these things in case of emergencie-"

"Doc. It was bad, alright," Scott muttered, looking at Ziggy, who had started shaking in his sleep. "When we got there... They were seconds fr-from..." Scott shook his head, unable to finish the sentence. He had fought day and night against Grinders, attack-bots and even his own father, but nothing felt worse than telling the innocent Dr. K about this.

"Those monsters..." Flynn whispered quietly. "Seconds later and we'd have been too late..."

Their reserved voices were confusing K, who looked at them with a baffled expression. "Too late for what? What happened?"

"If you two won't say it, I guess I will," Summer sighed, looking at her two friends with sympathetic looks. "Dr. K, when we got there, they were seconds away from being..."

"What? Shot? Killed? Captured?"

"Raped."

A cold silence drifted across the lab at that moment. There was the sound of a pen and a clipboard hitting the floor. Dr. K slowly felt herself weaken at the knees as she turned to sit down in one of her chairs. Her eyes showed it all as she looked at the Rangers. Utter shock, horrific panic, but worst of all, there was a guilt just sitting there. She was feeling guilty.

"How could those apes do something like that?" She asked to nobody in particular. "That's a complete violation of a person's very personal space on the most intimate of levels..."

Nobody knew how to respond. Nobody wanted to respond. Everybody knew the answer though... There was no justification for the actions that had been committed. It didn't matter to the assailant how they left their victims, be it scared, traumatised or both...

As they pondered this, there was a movement in the corner of Scott's eye. Turning, he noticed Ziggy beginning to stir from his slumber. "Ziggy!" He gasped, rushing over to the green ranger, who's eyes shot open rather quickly. His eyes widened as he saw Scott, body tensing up for a moment before relaxing again.

"You're awake!" Summer smiled warmly, trying to hide her worry.

"Wha... Dillon? Where's Dillon?" His eyes darted around the room before they rested on the operation table, where Dillon was soundly sleeping. "Dillon!" He tried to move forwards, feeling rather shaky as he stumbled across to the black ranger. "Is he?"

"He's fine," K said quietly. "He's healed mostly, but that leg will need a rest for a few days."

The curly haired boy was next to Dillon in an instant, looking straight at the older one with very mixed emotions. He wasn't sure whether to grab onto Dillon's hand or back away slowly, Summer noted, seeing Ziggy's hands shake.

"Just hold his damn hand man," Flynn groaned in frustration. "We already saw what you both did in the tunnel, there's no need to go shy now!"

There was a moment where Ziggy's face flushed bright red, as he looked at the floor nervously. "You saw that?" He had thought the others were battling.

"We saw everything Ziggy," Summer whispered quietly. "What those men tried to do-"

"Doesn't matter," The younger boy groaned, shaking his head silently. "Look, I'm not the one you need to worry about, Dillon is the one that got the brunt of it."

"But you both got threatened Ziggy," Scott pointed out, stepping towards him. "As Team Leader, I can tell you were near breaking point."

Ziggy sighed. "I've been through much worse. _Much worse,_ " He admitted, looking at Dillon once more. "I would have accepted it, they would have let me go, but no; this idiot had to step in and get shot!" There was a silence as the group processed Ziggy's words, Dr. K looking at him with immense pity.

"You mean..." Gem whispered.

"They did that to you before?" Gemma finished.

Ziggy only nodded, letting a few tears escape, but just a few. "For months..." He admitted.

Then it dawned on them just how serious it had become. "Months... As in while you've been a ranger?" Scott had to ask it, they all were thinking it.

"Yes." It was so simple an answer, but the effect it had on the room was horrific. Summer burst into tears, Flynn looked ready to break something, Scott was looking at him in shock, Gem and Gemma were unreadable, but Dr. K was beyond breaking point. She looked angry.

"You mean you went outside and you _let them rape you_!" She shouted, everyone turning to her. She was shaking angrily. "You compromised your safety, for what?"

"They cornered me Doc! I didn't have much of a choice. My luck with the cartels had to run out sooner or later! Ever since you and Dillon came to save me from getting ghosted, they've been hunting me down!" His face was furious. He was even more angry than her. "It was either I let them do what they wanted, or they attacked the Garage! I was _protecting_ all of you!"

"Ziggy, Doc! Enough!"

Everyone whirled around to see Dillon sitting up on his medical table. His face was filled with random cuts and bruises, but he seemed to be fine. Although, the cold look he was giving was enough for everyone to freeze and listen. "I've heard enough."

"How long were you awake Dillon?" Scott asked firmly, looking the black ranger in the eyes with his own glare.

"Long enough. Ziggy did what he thought was needed to keep the base from being compromised. It was a stupid decision, but Doc, he didn't have a choice." He looked at Ziggy, who was now crying again silently. "Zig, you are not alone. You could have told one of us after the first time you got cornered..."

"I know. But, you don't know Hector like I do. He'd do anything for revenge, he's a sadistic psycho," Ziggy whimpered. "If he discovered I told you something, I would have been dead in hours."

K sighed, burying her head into her arms, nobody saying anything. Dillon, being the only one who obviously had a brain, slid off of the table and pulled Ziggy into a hug. He felt the younger boy latch onto him, both of them losing themselves as the other became their only focus in the world.

"I am not letting you out of my sight Ziggy Grover. Not now, not ever," He whispered quietly, feeling the younger boy sob into his shoulder. "He will not lay a finger on you anymore, none of them will."

"My Dad is already working on getting a team to find the guy," Scott consoled, looking at the two. "Dillon, are you okay? What happe-"

"I'd rather just forget about if for now Scott. If you guys want to play therapist, can you do it when we're more relaxed," He complained, motioning to the distraught Ziggy. "I don't know if I'm in shock, or if it affected me too much, but what I do know is that if I see that man again, I _will_ kill him."

Dillon turned away from Scott to look at Ziggy, who had finally stopped sobbing quietly. Their eyes met for a moment, before Dillon pulled Ziggy in for a small kiss. Their mouths met for a few moments before they broke apart, both of them blushing red.

The team couldn't help but smile a little bit at the two and their affections. If anything, it was a cute silver lining from the mission. Summer wondered if Dillon would have ever told Ziggy his feelings, and vice versa, had they not been so damned traumatised.

"I take it that Ranger Green and Ranger Black are engaged in an affectionate relationship then," K said from her chair, one brow raised.

"It's about damn time," Scott laughed, the mood finally beginning to brighten up. "Pay up Gem!"

Begrudgingly, Gem wandered over to Scott, giving him thirty dollars. "You were betting on us?" Ziggy asked, looking at the two in surprise.

"Well, me and Gem had a bet... Gem thought you liked Dr. K." Said Doctor merely waved the comment off with the shake of her head.

"You should have told me! I would have totally taken you guys up on that bet," He grinned, looking at Dillon's reaction to that.

"You'd bet on me?!" Dillon looked at the younger boy with a mock-outraged look, making Ziggy laugh out loud.

Ziggy buried his head close to the black ranger's chest, "I'm just too irresistible Dillon. All the straight guys in Corinth would swing the other way for me if I turned up the Ziggy-Charm!"

"Well maybe your 'Ziggy-Charm' would like to go get some rest in your room. I have experiments I was working on before all of you started panicking and it looks like your energy levels are mostly stable." There was a pause.

Ziggy grinned widely. "You said my name."

K quickly realized what she had done, but a small smile played across her face, unseen by the others. "I merely quoted you, Ranger Green. It won't happen again."

That was when Dillon spoke up rather loudly with a large evil smirk. "Doc, if I remember earlier, when Ziggy ran off, you told me, and I quote, 'Dillon. Go and retrieve him. Go and get Ziggy.' Didn't you say that?"

* * *

 

Dillon and Ziggy were both promptly banned from setting foot into the lab for the rest of the day. If the warnings from Gem and Gemma weren't enough of a reason, the sound cannon rigged to the door was another. The green ranger had laughed all the way to the sofa, letting this personal victory fuel his inner Ziggyness. "I think I overwhelmed her with my Ziggy-Charm," He cackled, falling onto the sofa with a loud thud.

He felt the black ranger snuggle up beside him. "That charm is pretty infectious, you know," He whispered quietly, making Ziggy shiver happily.

"If my charm can ensnare the broodiest of broody loners, Dr. K doesn't stand a chance." He rested his head on Dillon's shoulder as the others hurried out of the lab.

"You guys realize she's gone off the deep end," Flynn stated, hiding behind a pillar as K peered out of the labs into the Garage.

Ziggy looked over, seeing her barricading the lab doors. "You know, it's just a name K! Z. I. G. G. Y. Not that tough to say!" She gave him a death glare before turning away from the door to head back into her woman-cave. "All things considered, I think she took it pretty well."

"She was pissed after hearing about what happened to you guys though," Scott pointed out as he walked over with Summer.

"The little ones are always the most dangerous," Ziggy mumbled, getting a laugh from Flynn and Dillon.

Summer seemed to be deep in thought when she instantly snapped into attention, motioning to Dillon and Ziggy to follow her. "Both of you, with me, now!"

"Why? I mean you're a nice girl Summer, but I'm fine with just Dillon thanks."

The light tap Dillon gave to the back of his head made him shut up, Summer looking at the two with the same look a girl would give to a puppy, or an adorable cat. "You two are so perfect for each other!"

"Summer, would you stop fangirling and show them." Scott laughed, coming up behind them. "It's not much, but it's a start," He finished as they reached Ziggy's room.

"You moved my bed?" Dillon said in surprise, seeing his bed sitting on the left side of Ziggy's room. "My bed?"

"Well, we saw the sexual tension between you both and thought you might need some... encouragement." Scott grinned, patting Dillon on the back silently.

Ziggy looked at them, eyebrows raised. "You know how ironic this is, right?" The others rolled their eyes. Of course Ziggy had started making jokes about the trauma he and Dillon had just went through. "Nice wording there too."

"Glad to see you're back to your joking ways, Zig," Dillon grinned. "Guess I better get my stuff then, although just so you know, mine is bigger."

Summer almost choked on nothing when he said that, going bright red. Dillon's eyes widened, although whether it was true surprise or a really clever fake, nobody would ever find out. "I meant my room! My old room! Jeez Summer, get your mind out of the gutter!"

Ziggy was having a laughing fit on the bed as Summer quietly pursed her lips and walked off with Scott down the hallway, leaving Dillon standing there looking really confused. Finally he shook his head with an exasperated look and marched into the bedroom, jumping onto his own bed with a sigh. It had been a long and stressful day, he needed rest.

"You know, ever since I ran off earlier, the link's been pretty quiet," Ziggy mused, finally subsiding his laughter.

That was true. Dillon hadn't thought about it much before, but their link had been pretty adamant with them that day. By all rights, they should have both passed out at that first moment... "I wonder why?" He thought aloud.

"You're asking the wrong guy, I'm just as clueless as you are," He sighed back. Only this time, Ziggy had moved onto his side, so he was facing Dillon from across the room. "But I'm glad... You know."

"About _us_?" He replied, sitting up on his bed. "I guess you're right Zig..."

"I don't guess. I'm always right, the rest of the world just gets confused." Dillon chuckled quietly, looking over at the younger boy.

There was a quiet pause as the two looked at each other again, although the silence seemed to grow accustomed to their staring. Seriously, every time they stared at each other, it was like a silence just fell across the world. Somehow, it was much more intense this time around. "I have an idea," Dillon stated, hopping off of his bed.

Two minutes later and both of their beds were pushed together, giving them much needed space, while allowing the two to not be separated by the confines of a room. It was almost night out when the two finally got back into the covers of their joint bed, this time only in their boxers.

Dillon wrapped his arms around Ziggy, the younger boy resting his head in Dillon's chest. It was becoming a habit of Ziggy's, one that Dillon didn't mind all that much. They pressed up against each other, Dillon kissing Ziggy's neck silently as he leaned towards the boy. They shared a silent kiss, ever so quiet, before the night descended and they both drifted off to sleep. Yes, even Dillon went to sleep.


	7. The Viral Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dillon tries to leave, Ziggy does stupid stuff and Dillon's virus gives this story a real T rating. (Oh, and sexual tension).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had filters when I started writing this fic... I had a line I wouldn't cross... The last few paragraphs of this chapter blow those filters out the window... *Sigh* Everytime...

The next few days had been rather painful for the two linked rangers. While Scott took Gem and Gemma to even out the ranks, they were forced to remain behind in the lab due to K's insistence on letting Dillon's leg heal. They couldn't help but notice that the rangers were a lot more cautious around the two as well, going as far as to watch their every word, so as not to annoy the two.

Ziggy didn't know about Dillon, but he found the rest of the team to be very grating on the nerves. Sure, they were pitying the two for what had happened between them and the Cartels, but as the same time it only served as a reminder to the green ranger about what he'd forced Dillon into.

Dillon had refused to talk about the event since that first night. He never bothered to mention it with Scott like they had agreed upon, but Ziggy was surprised when he refused to talk to him as well. The younger one thought for sure Dillon would confide in him at least! Then again, their relationship was pretty new and neither of them wanted to risk breaking it any time soon. There was time for questions, but it could wait. He had faith that the older one would confide to him in time.

On the plus side, Dr. K seemed to be back to her old self within a few days. Unlike the other rangers, she was content with not mentioning their encounter in every single conversation. In fact, Dillon and Ziggy had spent more time in the lab with K than with the rest of the team. The only downside? Lots of scans.

Ever since that day, she had been working nonstop to figure out why the link had not made the two of them tired from being so far apart. It went against everything she knew about the link, everything they were told. Countless scans had proven useless and with her endless questions about how they felt in their minds, and whether they were tired, it was a little draining.

Luckily, Ziggy always found solace at night when the two slept. Ever since Dillon had taken to sleeping with Ziggy, his nightmares had decreased, although the green ranger always sensed some sort of tension from the black ranger if he woke up in the middle of the night. Dillon was tense, sweating, shaky. But a simple nuzzle to the chest helped Dillon to relax, to let him know someone was there. And Ziggy was more than happy to be that someone.

It was on the fourth day since the incident that Dr. K had finally gotten some news about their link.

"It seems that the side-effects of your connection have lessened greatly. The results from the latest scan show that you are both just as functional apart as you were before you attained this mental link." Ziggy's eyes lit up at this, finally some good news.

"You mean-"

"Yes, it seems you both are perfectly fine. The last couple of days should have been enough for Ranger Black's leg to set, so you both should be in healthy condition for active duty." She motioned to Dillon quickly, pushing him onto the scanning chair. "I just have one last scan I need to take, then you may go about your day again." She looked up at Ziggy, who was sitting by her desk, waiting silently. "Ranger Green, you are not needed."

Ziggy frowned. "I'm staying anyway." He looked over at Dillon, seeing the black ranger nod.

"Very well then, although I can guarantee you will not like the results of this scan." She walked over to her computer to initiate the scan, Ziggy watching as various lights seemed to run across Dillon's frame quickly. This went on for a few minutes, before a silent beep announced the scan's completion. "As I thought," She muttered darkly.

"What is it doc?" Dillon asked silently. He quickly crowded around her computer screen, Ziggy just behind them. A large number forty sat in the middle of the screen, and it didn't take a genius to know what it was about. "The virus is getting quicker..."

"As the results show, I estimate you have a few weeks before the virus takes a complete hold on you. I have been working on a cure, but I've had no luck at all yet. I'll need more time," K sighed, popping a marshmallow from a bag on her desk in her mouth.

Dillon nodded silently, turning to see Ziggy frowning at him. "When were you going to tell me it was this bad?"

"I wasn't," He stated. "Why worry you with something you knew would happen already?"

"I swear," Ziggy groaned, walking away from the computer. "You sound like Dr. K sometimes. Remember our argument about you keeping things to yourself," Ziggy's voice was a little raised. Those words did have an effect on Dillon though, who looked at the floor silently. "Dillon..."

He felt Ziggy's arm on his as the younger one walked up to him,  ignoring Dr. K's prying eyes. "I care about you Dillon. I just want us to be safe."

"How can you be safe when I'm a walking time bomb Zig," Dillon growled, pushing out of Ziggy's grip, going for the lab doors. "Nobody is safe around me anymore."

Ziggy hurried to follow, leaving Dr. K alone at her chair. Looking at the two, she felt a pang of sadness for both of them. Shaking her head, she looked back to her screen. She may not be able to give any emotional advice, but an antidote was the next best thing.

* * *

 

"Dillon, wait!" Ziggy called out, watching as his boyfriend strolled over towards the Fury. "Running isn't going to help!"

The black ranger ignored him, getting into his car before Ziggy could even stop him. "Ziggy, just give me some space!" He quickly turned on the ignition and pushed the accelerator full throttle. He needed to get out of the Garage, he needed to think. He needed to stop feeling like a danger to everyone, to Ziggy.

His car roared as it sped out of the ranger compound where they stayed, now cruising along the road towards the outskirts of town. Dillon wanted to collect his thoughts, but Ziggy's voice kept replaying in his head, _'I just want us to be safe.'_ He'd be safer without him. Maybe that was what it took, maybe Dillon should go back to the wastes again. Most of his stuff was already in the car, he kept it pre-packed in case of emergencies.

Sure, he'd miss being a part of the team, he'd lose out on Flynn's smoothies or Summer's banter. Scott's rivalry would be tough to give up, while the Boom Twins he could do without. Heck, he'd even miss Dr. K. The Garage was like a second home to him, but the Venjix tech in his body was fighting a battle, a battle that he would lose.

He couldn't turn again. The last time he had gone full Venjix, Dr. K was forced to input the basecode, and even that had been a temporary measure. He knew that just the right thing could set him off, and he didn't want his friends to be around him when he did.

 _'But what about Ziggy?'_ There was a problem in his plan. He could feel it still in the back of his head, their connection. The mental aspect was still there, he could still feel Ziggy's thoughts, and both of them had gotten pretty good at reading each other's mood. There was no doubt in his mind the green ranger was either reading his thoughts or trying to figure out a way to bring him back. Why couldn't he realize that Dillon _needed_ to leave because of Ziggy.

If he hurt Ziggy... If anything happened to Zig, he'd not have a purpose. Whether it was his true feelings, or maybe the link, he felt that connection with Ziggy, that real spark. Some would call it fate, others would say he's found is other half... But no. Dillon never found happiness. Something always screwed it up. Losing his sister, losing his memories, getting infected with this god awful virus...

He let his mind wander as he approached the beach area of the dome. It had been here where Tenaya had gotten his virus to increase in its control, when she put that thing on his nec-

A green flash of light and he felt a massive weight on his lap. His foot went straight for the break, suddenly not able to see anything. Luckily, he had slowed down as he came to a grinding halt at the beach, feeling something fall off of his lap. His heart was pounding, his eyes were wide, but he knew exactly what had happened.

 **"ZIGGY!"** He instantly snapped his gaze towards the green ranger, in his morphed state, who was crashed in a pile on his passenger seat. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Wrong seat," The morphed ranger replied, scrambling to get up. A quick flash of light and Ziggy sat there, now demorphed. Dillon could see the panic on his face, feeling his anger melt away.

"Damnit," He growled, looking away. "Do you ever give up?"

Ziggy smiled goofily. "Nope, you're not going anywhere without me!"

"Oh no Zig, that's not happening!" Dillon growled, catching onto Ziggy's plan. "You are staying where it's sa-"

"Well you're not getting rid of me." The older boy sighed at this, a small smile coming to his face.

"You are way too loyal for your own good sometimes," He sighed, feeling Ziggy pull up next to him.

"It's my Ziggy-Charm," He grinned, flexing one of his muscles. Dillon was pretty surprised to see that Ziggy actually had muscles to flex. The ranger training was really paying off on the younger boy. Before, he was scrawny, like a breeze would knock him down. Now, it seemed the boy could stand against anything. There was a flutter of pride in Ziggy's voice as he said, "I think I can handle myself in a fight, you know."

As the two of them sat there in silence, there was a sudden bang. The Fury flipped off of its wheels, flying sideways. The two had no time to react as the car slammed into the ground. "RPM -Get in Gear!" He heard Ziggy shout, just as fire began to burst into the car.

There was a flash of light and the two of them stood a little ways away from the burning Fury, Ziggy morphed in his suit once more. Dillon's eyes widened as he saw some familiar figures appear from behind the car, noting Tenaya Seven's rather coy look. She was holding her hand blaster, pointing it at the car.

"No you don't!" He shouted, running forwards towards the group, Ziggy right behind him. "RPM - Get in Gear!"

Suited up, the two rangers charged forwards towards the android and her Grinders, summoning their weapons as quickly as possible.

"Two rangers all alone. It's my lucky day, D-44," Tenaya laughed, staring straight at Dillon.

"My name is Dillon! And you are going to pay for what you did to my car!" He growled, launching forwards towards Tenaya. "Ziggy, keep those Grinders busy!"

The green ranger nodded, bringing his Turbo Axe into a battle stance. A group of Grinders swarmed him quickly, getting in the way of his path towards Dillon and Tenaya. **"Ranger Green! The other rangers are on their way. Keep those Grinders under control until they arrive."**

"Will do Doc," He replied, slamming his axe into the closest Grinder, knocking it back. "No problemo!"

A pair of Grinders charged forwards, slicing towards Ziggy's legs. He quickly jumped up, slamming his foot into the left one's back, using his axe as a golf club to swing it into the right one's face. They flew backwards with a mechanical crunch, only to be replaced by a few more. He quickly ducked underneath a Grinder's knife, tripping it over with his feet, before kicking off of the Grinder's head to do a backflip. Spinning his axe around, he slammed it into as many Grinders as he could as he backed away from the ring of minions.

"You won't win Tenaya," He heard Dillon shout through the radio transmission. His eyes turned, seeing Dillon fighting fist to fist with the girl. Tenaya was managing to block all of Dillon's attacks with ease! He was getting overwhelmed!

"Dillon, I'm coming!" He shouted, charging back into the Grinder fray to reach _his_ black ranger.

He hacked and slashed through an entire group of the minions, using the rings on his suit to grind them up as they got close. He was moving faster and faster, reaching for Dillon's side of the field, when he felt a Grinder knock him to the floor. Turning on the ground, he saw a blade sliding towards his helmet. _'Oh no!'_

"Zip charger!" He heard a voice shout, and a second later, the Grinder was flying out of his view to the right. He turned, seeing Summer waving at him, the others charging forwards to help with the Grinders.

When the red ranger reached Ziggy to pull him up, he quickly looked over to Dillon and Tenaya. Tenaya still had the upper hand and he could feel Dillon's frustration raging in his mind. He needed to get over there, but he couldn't risk teleporting for a third time that day. It would drain his energy reserves.

"We'll keep the Grinders busy," Scott ordered. "Help black!"

Ziggy nodded, rushing over to where Dillon was fighting as fast as he could. Quickly, he pulled out his blaster, pointing at the duo as they fought. Dillon noticed, rolling out of the way just as he fired, sending the shots straight into Tenaya.

There was a pained scream, followed by a snarl of frustration as he saw Tenaya charging towards him. Quickly using his Turbo Axe, he slammed it into the ground, causing the ground around her to shake. Dillon was running from behind, Plasma Launcher in hand. "Take this!" He shouted, slicing his axe towards Tenaya, momentarily knocking her backwards - Just as Dillon fired his Plasma Launcher into her back, knocking her to the ground.

"You okay Zig?" He heard Dillon ask as they finally met back up.

"Fine, we need to deal with h- Wait! Where did she?" There was a sudden pause as they noticed Tenaya was missing. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Ziggy as Tenaya appeared at Dillon's side, a syringe in hand. He saw the syringe's contents drain into Dillon, saw the black ranger seize up suddenly, then Ziggy felt their mental link burn. Everything was burning, his head was on fire.

"Gah!" He choked, clutching his head... Only he wasn't. He wasn't in control at all. And neither was Dillon.

_'I can't control my body? Why can't I control my body!?'_

He could see everything that was happening. Dillon and he were charging towards the other rangers, there was violence... Flynn and Summer tried to stop Dillon, they were flung aside. Scott tried to stop Ziggy, but his body slammed into Scott's, knocking him down.

_'C'mon! Body, listen to me! Stop hurting the others and be good!'_

"Dillon! Stop!"

"Subject D-44, what are you doing?!"

Ziggy turned to see Dillon fighting both the rangers and Tenaya. "Taking out the trash!" Within moments, the entire squad was slammed onto the floor, Tenaya included. None of them could move, save for Dillon and Ziggy.

 **"Ranger green! Ranger black! Snap out of it! You're not yourselves!"** Ziggy knew Dr. K was right. They weren't right, his head was burning. His body wanted to beat the rangers and it did. But why couldn't he control anything. He wanted nothing more than to cry for help, but he couldn't. **"Ranger green! Please! Listen to me!"**

"Sorry Doc, I'm not interested," His voice replied, only it wasn't him speaking. It was as if something had him possessed.

 **"Ziggy... Please..."** For a brief moment he was in control, for one single second, he whispered out.

"Dr. K, hel-" His body shut down. It was under enemy control once more.

**"I will find a way to bring you back to us safely... I promise."**

From inside of his own mind, Ziggy was screaming. Everything was wrong, so very wrong. And then he saw Dillon turn, the black ranger stalking towards him. He thought Dillon would end him right there and then, but something very different happened. Ziggy threw his arms around the morphed black ranger, pushing their helmets together as his teleportation kicked in. Suddenly, they were in a dense forest. Unmorphed, their morphers on the ground. Beside them, the tracking chips Dr. K had installed, broken.

_'Dillon! Please... Why... I can't do a thing.'_

**_'You too?'_** He heard a voice whisper in his head. A familiar voice.

 _'Dillon!'_ Suddenly he wasn't seeing what his body was seeing. There was just a field, and in the field he could see the familiar brown hair of the black ranger. ' _Dillon! What's going on? I can't control my body and w-'_

 ** _'The virus.'_** Dillon sighed, rubbing the back of his head. **_'It's using the link as a conductor. The virus has your body enslaved to mine, or at least, that's what I can guess. If I was in control of my body, I'd tell you.'_**

Ziggy looked at the man, pulling him into a hug. They both knew it wasn't real, this was all happening through the mental link, but he felt safe, if only for a moment. _'What are we going to do?'_

 ** _'I don't know Zig...'_** Dillon tensed up, Ziggy wondering what was wrong. **_'Zig, don't pay attention to the real world.'_**

 _'Why?'_ He asked, noting a sudden change in Dillon's voice. It wasn't fear or worry though... It was embarrassment. _'Dillon, is there seriously anything to be embarrassed about?'_

Dillon shook his head silently, a flush forming on his cheeks. **_'We can't control our bodies, so they act on instinct.'_**

 _'What does that have to do wi- Wait!'_ His eyes widened in absolute horror. There was a reason why his body had reacted so strongly to Dillon. Their mental link, the helmets coming together as they teleported. Their bodies were working on the last real instinct given by the two trapped in their own minds. The last thing he remembered thinking about was how he needed to protect Dillon, how Dillon was _his_. _'Oh god!"_

Dillon was silent, as if focussing on something, and Ziggy had a pretty good idea of what he was focussed on. _'Don't you dare!'_ He growled, tackling the boy into the grass of their mental plain. _'If our bodies are doing what I think they are doing, I'd rather have control of my body before letting you oogle!'_

 ** _'Sorry! It's just..."_** He paused, trying to find the right words.  _ **"Are**_ ** _you always so cute when you're lying down on the ground with me above you?'_**

 _'Don't give me details! And yes, I pride myself in my cuteness,'_ He smirked, trying to block out mental images of Dillon on top of him, doing things... Lots of things...

He hoped the others would find a cure soon!

 

 

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not spelling out what happened. It's fairly obvious, since I like to think that Dillon didn't work on human emotion as the virus infected him in the show. So I came up with the idea of instincts dictating what happens. So when two sexually frustrated young people are forced to act on instincts while their common sense and decency are locked away in their minds... Things happen.


	8. Saving a Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenaya discovers the truth and the Rangers, cure in hand, confront the rogue rangers!

Scott had to wonder how the day had gone from, 'Oh hey, everyone's back to normal now,' to, 'Dillon and Ziggy are trying to kill us!'. As he placed an ice pack on another one of his many bruises, he looked around at the Garage, seeing everyone else in various shapes of injury. Flynn had his head pressed against a cold smoothie, Summer was draped across the sofa, Gem and Gemma were both lying by their private corner of the room, strangely not hyperactive, or even happy.

But their injuries were nothing compared to Tenaya. The robot had suffered catastrophic damage at the hands of the black ranger, and while they were picked up by rescue teams, Dr. K had told them she wanted Tenaya, instead of leaving her to die. The girl was unconscious when she was brought in and quickly was stripped of any weapons before being admitted into a laser cage in the lab. She'd been there all day, not waking up for anything.

And then there were the two missing rangers. Dr. K had noted Ziggy's one moment of self control and relayed it to the other rangers. She had since figured out that the mental link between Dillon and Ziggy was so strong that when Venjix took over Dillon's body, Ziggy obediently went with it. She also noted that before they left the battlefield, their mental memory had dropped. There had been a comment about shells and no thought, but Scott took no notice. He just wanted to know where they were and how they could be brought back.

"Scott, I know you are concerned for the safety of the two rogue rangers, but we need to find a way to stop the virus before going after them." He did not want to admit she had been right. They were almost finished when they were picked up. "Anyway, ranger black and ranger green are going to be distracted anyway. The last vital bodily readings I got from their morphers before they vanished off of the radar stated their hormonal intakes had tripled. I theorize this is because of the lack of a mind, and without the freedom of choice, the body reacts instinctually."

"So what you're saying is that they're probably making out somewhere?" Summer had asked earlier.

"I've been scanning those two for weeks before the mental connection came to pass. When they started an intimate emotional relationship, I noticed the physical build-up of hormones, however their sense of choice kept them intact, and for good reason. That build-up of male hormones will probably need to be lowered to a normal level before the instincts in their body change, so I trust you can all figure out what they are most probably up to. When their bodily hormones calm down, we will find them. For now, I don't think they want to be found."

That had left the group with a lot of answers and a heavily blushing Summer. He had rolled his eyes, being mature enough to actually not blush over the needs of young males... Then again, she was a girl, it could be different. That earlier meeting had changed a lot of thoughts on their teammates.

"Scott, do you think our team will be the same again?" Summer asked, bringing her knees up to her chest. She had taken the loss of the two the hardest, having already felt guilty enough due to Ziggy's big secret the week before.

"I don't know Summer..." Scott shook his head silently, pushing his doubts into the back of his mind. He knew that they needed to keep fighting Venjix as long as possible, but they needed their teammates for the megazord. That, and no ranger leaves another ranger behind. It was a fact, and he was going to abide by it. As team leader, he had no choice but to keep on hoping, even when the others had failed.

It was this thinking that had gotten him up the ranks in Eagle Squad before the Battle for Corinth. He was a natural born leader, even certain people refused to acknowledge it...

"Scott, you may be the leader, but we all need to deal with this together," Flynn said quietly, coming up behind the red ranger.

There was a silence in the air, unnatural really. Normally by this point Ziggy or Dillon would have caused some sort of ruckus, be it Ziggy's playful pranks or Dillon's constant brooding need to be the alpha male. Either way, it all felt wrong. "I know Flynn..."

* * *

 

"You cannot hold me in here, human!" Tenaya growled, slamming her good hand against the laser cage she was encased in. She was snarling at the working Dr. K, who was too busy hunched over her computer to really register the Venjix-bot. "Are you even listening to me! I've been captured by you before, and I've escaped every time!"

"If I remember correctly, the last time you tried to escape one of my security protocols, I had you thrown out of the building through the air vents. I could go and take up my violin if you wish, the strings have all been fixed now." The threat registered in the bot's mind, leaving the prisoner to stop speaking.

She didn't know why Tenaya was so hell bent on escaping. Her injuries were painful, yet any good  Venjix-bot would have just self destructed by this point. Something else was going on. "Could I at least have a towel. I'm leaking oil from one of my wounds."

_'Oil? Venjix never ran his robots on fossil fuels in the old days.'_ She grabbed a towel from underneath her desk, where she kept her emergency supplies, tossing it towards Tenaya. It was then that she got a good view of the wound Tenaya was worried about... Only that was not oil coming out of the wound. "You're bleeding."

It was a fact, a statement. There was no question about it, but Tenaya looked at her like she was insane. "Robots do not bleed. We are fuelled by our machinations and our gears." That had to have been the most idiotic statement to come out of a Venjix-bot, and one quick scan later and K's theory was correct. "Did you just scan m-"

"It says here that you are not a Venjix attack-bot. It says here that you are in fact, a human." K's eyes narrowed at the intruder, seeing a look of shock pass through Tenaya's gaze as K projected the results onto the big screens around the lab. "Did you come from the same place as Dillon?"

"D-44 was a test subject. Nothing more. **I am not a human.** " The woman turned, mopping up the blood quietly. She was in denial.

Then K got an idea. "If you are so sure that you are not a human, then you wouldn't mind if I scanned the blood to check for any DNA matches in the old database?"

"Do what you want, I don't care." She tossed the towel at K, the scientist catching it without a word. A few minutes later and a loud _ping_ sounded on the computer. The DNA of the blood was a match! K silently turned on the screen, showing a picture of a black haired young girl called Alaya Evans. It was the spitting image of Tenaya. "This... This can't be real! I-I..."

"Tenaya, Alaya, whatever you wish to be called. I am sorry, but Venjix has been deceiving you this whole time. I'm afraid you are a human cyborg, and due to that, it seems your wounds have become a more pressing matter to me. However, I will heal you **after** you tell me what you injected into my Ranger Black!" K needed her to talk, she needed this information.

"Why should I tell you anything? Even if I was a human, I don't care about them, I'll see those two rangers dead."

K was running out of options. She turned back to her computer screen, noticing a small file next to Alaya's name. It was titled, relatives. There was only one other file. She clicked on it quickly, wondering if the relative was still alive, only to see a picture of Dillon, two years younger, staring back at her.

"What is your ranger black doing on the monitor?" Tenaya asked in surprise.

"He- This has to be a mistake. Unless..." Her eyes crossed Dillon's name on the folder. Dylan Evans. "Ranger black is your brother."

* * *

 

**"Rangers! I have an antidote! It works, get in here now!"**

The five rangers rushed into the lab, seeing Tenaya lying on the sofa Ziggy was on a week before unconscious. Dr. K was holding the antidote, looking at her with a small smile. Turning, she noticed the rangers were looking at the projectors that had been left up on the walls. Pictures of Tenaya and Dillon, their past selves.

"Doc. Is that?" Flynn was pointing to Dillon's picture in shock.

"Yes, Tenaya and Dillon are siblings. She is a cyborg, although I've managed to remove the Venjix control over her. She was the one I tested the antidote on, I have one more vial that needs to get into Dillon."

The Rangers were too shocked to even speak or think. There was too much information suddenly piling in, until Scott finally pulled himself out of the daze to look at Dr. K. "We'll discuss this later. For now, we need to find Dillon!"

"Hey guys," Gem called.

"I think we've-" Gemma started.

"Found their signals-"

"In a forest in the-"

"West side of the dome."

"Apparently they-"

"Are moving again."

"Then come on Rangers! We have our teammates to save!" Scott called out, running up to Dr. K to grab the antidote. The other rangers, now sobered up from their shock, had already ran to their vehicles. Scott took one look at Tenaya before heading back into the Garage, now determined to save Ziggy and Dillon!

* * *

 

_'Where do you think we're being dragged off to?'_ Ziggy asked, looking out of his eyes at the world around him. It had taken a few tries, but the two boys were now able to get their mental connection to allow chatting even when not on the mental plane.

**_'My guess? To blow something up.'_** Dillon wasn't exactly being subtle about the situation, but his deadpan humour was much needed by the green ranger.

_'After what our bodies went through earlier, I'm surprised you didn't pass out on top of me,'_ Ziggy chuckled in his mind. At least he could still laugh in his mini prison. He heard Dillon groan in embarrassment, feeling his vision turn tinges of red to show their feelings. He was such a softy at heart.

**_'Zig, we were not in control. Now stop joking about it!'_** Dillon really wanted to change the subject. All he could do at the moment was talk with Ziggy and he'd rather it be something interesting rather than anything else.

_'Aww... But I want to know how you could bend in so many wa-'_

**_'Ziggy!? We can talk about this another time!'_** There was a pause as Ziggy realized Dillon actually promised to talk about this whole scenario soon. That would be one fun talk. **_'And I have to bend, you know, to avoid getting hit by enemies.'_**

Ziggy burst out laughing to Dillon's annoyance, not noticing that their bodies had stopped in the middle of a parking lot. It was only when they both looked out to see the other rangers, that they knew things were about to get serious. _'Damnit! They can't fight us when we're like this! They'll get themselves killed!'_ He could feel Dillon thinking the same thing. They didn't want to hurt their friends, but they weren't in control. They were too powerless to fight back.

**"RPM! Get in gear!"** That was all that could be heard in the car park as seven rangers morphed, two in the mood for blood.

Dillon charged forwards, already firing his blaster into the other rangers. Scott had jumped out of the way, leaving Flynn and Gem to deal with the massive behemoth. Scott was circling the group, when Ziggy noticed a vial in his hand.

_'Dillon! Scott has something in his hands! It could be an_ _antidote!'_ Dillon's body snapped towards Scott in a sudden twist, slamming into the red ranger, knocking the vial from his hands.

Ziggy turned to grab the file, when he felt something smack into his face and knock him backwards. He stumbled backwards, Turbo Axe in hand, swinging wildly as he struggled to catch his bearings. Suddenly, Dillon's body was on the floor, just for a second. But that second had somehow broken Ziggy's prison. Suddenly, he was in control once more!

"We can't control our bodies," He shouted, feeling himself slide to the floor in blind panic. Now he was free for the moment, he could feel all of the pain from whatever had hit him, but he also felt very weird in his trousers. His actions earlier that day might have had a little something to do with that.

"Ziggy!" He heard Gemma call, feeling her pick him up. "You on our side now?"

"Not for long," He growled, feeling the virus beginning to grow once more. He slid towards the antidote, looking for Dillon. He needed to do this and fast!

"Ziggy! Give me the vial," He heard a voice say, seeing Dillon right behind him, holding his arm out. Flynn, Scott and Gem were struggling to get up, while Summer and Gemma were backing up Ziggy's rear. The green ranger felt himself freeze up, he felt the virus. His body was losing itself again. "Ziggy. Give it to me!"

"I-gah!" He felt himself step towards Dillon, pain searing through his body. He saw Dillon fire at the two girls, knocking them out of range as they charged him. Dillon had so easily dealt with the rest of the team. He could just give up, give him the vial, end his torment there... It could be so easy.

**_'Ziggy! Don't do it!'_** He felt Dillon cry in his head, jolting Ziggy back into reality. Suddenly, he was in control, the real Dillon was right there with him! He was always with him!

"Fine! You can have it!" He shouted, chucking his axe at Dillon. The black ranger moved his hand to block the axe, only to feel an injection slam into his arm as he lowered it. He heard a gasp, a choking sound, steam seemed to erupt from Dillon for a few moments, before the black ranger fell forwards onto Ziggy's shoulder.

"Z-Ziggy?" He asked quietly, his gentle voice making Ziggy smile.

"Yeah, it's me Dillon..." He let out a tearful laugh, clutching his other half in a tight gripped hug. "It's over. We got rid of the virus."

"Why do I still feel weird then?" The older ranger asked him, giving him a goofy grin.

Ziggy laughed out loud, before tying out the bluntest answer he would ever give, shocking every single person that heard it, "I blame it on the hot steamy sex we had a few hours ago."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That final line is possibly my favourite line from any of my fanfictions on here or FF.net. However, this isn't the end yet. I'd say there's at least one more chapter left.


	9. Mending Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sweet ending to the story.

The group arrived back at the garage an hour later, Dillon and Ziggy slouching as they fell onto the sofa exhausted. It had been one hell of a long day for the duo, and the other rangers looked at them with sympathetic glances. The drive back had been stressful on their bruising bodies, and neither of them would move from the sofa once they had  settled. Either Dr. K was coming out of her lab to scan them, or she had to wait until they felt better to scan them.

This elicited an obviously angry response from K, who was already stressed out when the other Rangers noticed Tenaya was missing. She had told K in her calmest tone, _'I'm going back to Venjx for answers. I have to do this, the virus is still spreading. Your antidote only subdued it, but if I can find the viral coding, I can help make an antidote.'_

She had left moments after, leaving Dr. K alone to face the Rangers as they returned. Taking a look out of her lab cameras, she could see Ziggy was curled up next to Dillon on the sofa, the two of them sleeping rather peacefully. Inwardly smirking, she wasn't surprised. The activities that Ziggy had so boldly stated that they had participated in were enough to give everyone an idea of their states of mind and body.

"Dr. K. Ziggy told us to tell you that if you want to do a medical scan, you need to go out there, since he's refusing to budge," Summer frowned, looking towards the young green ranger.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, we'll see about that." She switched on the mic allowing her to broadcast through the building. "Ranger's green and black, lab in five minutes or I'm sending you to bed."

Ziggy looked up at her, an amused look on his face. "I wouldn't mind that actually. Although, it's a little child-"

"Let me rephrase. I'll send you both to bed, in your own two rooms. **Separated.** " Ziggy's face turned pale, Dillon turning to look at the camera with a low growl. He did not look happy. "I'll see you soon."

Summer was giggling as she saw the two males struggle to get up off of the sofa, Dr. K smiling in her chair, lightly spinning it around once in a relaxed way. She loved her spinny chair. The two boys entered the room silently, Dillon giving everyone and everything the death glare, while Ziggy was so out of it, he barely registered Summer by the door. He just clung to Dillon, refusing to let go.

"Rangers, it is good to see you are both well. I trust you both had a _relaxing break._ " The smugness in her voice wasn't lost on Ziggy, who blushed lightly, hugging Dillon even more. "I'm sure you feel so _relieved_ to be back at the Garage."

"Doc. Enough with the jokes, please." Dillon stated through a rather cracked voice. "I am not in the mood."

She merely glanced at them with a mock baffled expression, before replying, "What jokes? I can assure you that rest is no laughing matter. Now please, allow me to scan you, and yes Ranger Green, you will need to let go of Ranger Black. He won't disappear."

Ziggy, noticing just how much he was hugging Dillon, released the large boy quite suddenly, slipping backwards with a sheepish grin. Dillon merely sat on the table, although Summer, from her position at the door, noticed a slight tinge of red on his cheeks. "Dillon? Are you blushing?" She asked with a grin.

Dillon looked at her, giving his hardest, coldest glance, but she shrugged it off with that silly smile wiped across her face. So what if he and Ziggy did some stupid things in the forest, it wasn't really them. It was the virus! His eyes drifted over to Ziggy, who was now sitting on a chair, staring at the floor half-heartedly. He noticed the boy was bright red and had his hands in his face... It was way too adorable for his liking! He was the loner of the group! He had a rep- "Doooooc," Ziggy whined in the cutest voice. "Can you scan Dillon already!" His puppy dog eyes were out.

_'Screw my reputation! I want all of that cute!'_

"Fine, fine," K muttered, switching on the scanner. After scanning Dillon, and then Ziggy, she quickly brought their results up for them to see, but not before shooing Summer out of the door. Once the yellow ranger was gone, she motioned to the board. "Ranger Black, your viral infection is only temporarily at bay. The cure has regressed it significantly, and I have a nice stock here, but eventually your body will grow used to it. I hope to have a more permanent solution until then."

Dillon frowned for a moment, turning to Ziggy. "What's the danger to Ziggy?"

"I was getting to that, Ranger Black. It seems that your bond with Ranger Green gives you both access to each other's minds in a very deep way. If something affects the mind of one of you, it will also affect the other. This will give you an incentive to continue using the antidote Ranger Black, and maybe it will also keep you from running away again." She turned to Ziggy with a discontent look. "I do not want to have to rely on Ranger Green's teleportation abilities into a moving vehicle again."

"Noted," Dillon sighed, turning to Ziggy. "Looks like you're stuck with me Zig..."

"Just the way I like it," The younger one smiled sincerely, looking at his results. "So... What's that weird thing in my scan?"

"Venjix tech. The virus spread through your minds, but in that time, it cultivated your body to actively host the virus. Luckily, it's at its most basic state and is not likely to cause any issues for months. By then I'll have an antidote. No need to worry over nothing Series Green." She then waved her arm. "You can go now. I think you both need rest. And possibly a bath, you smell horrific."

* * *

 

Ziggy wasn't sure how it happened, but in the space of two hours after the scan, he had eaten way too much over his own body weight in ice cream, found himself curled up against Dillon in various places, one of which was the bathtub, and at the end of it all, he had collapsed on his bed from exhaustion. His body was feeling sore, but he felt a lot cleaner and more well-fed. Although, as he curled up alone in his bed, he felt very cold.

Dillon had gone down into the kitchen to have a midnight snack, leaving the green ranger to his own thoughts and feelings. That was a dangerous thing.

The green ranger felt tears streaming down his face for the first time in a little while. It was like a truck slamming into him, but everything that had happened over the past few days was finally catching up to him. The bond, the attack from the cartels, the desperate contact he needed from Dillon, teleporting into the Fury and almost crashing, losing control of his body, the different emotions he had felt while being controlled, the confrontation with the other rangers, and his attempt to save Dillon from the virus... So much had happened, and now his barriers crumbled.

He couldn't cope with it. Not anymore.

Going outside alone was something he knew he wouldn't do again. There was a seriousness to the cartel members when they kidnapped him that day. They would have killed him, had they gotten just a little further away from Dillon. He wouldn't be alive, he'd have left Dillon all alone... _'I need him. I need Dillon...'_

The violation of his body when they were under the control of the Virus. He wanted to joke about it, to play it off as something that never happened, or was just silly, but even with K making jokes now, he knew it wouldn't go away. Those moments would haunt him. It wasn't Dillon in control, it was a virus that did those things.

He wiped away the tears, feeling a massive pang of guilt for Dillon. He knew that the older man was shaken from the cartels, and the issue of what happened in the forest was something he kept trying to deflect. He knew they needed to talk about it, but even then... Did he want to acknowledge it?

"Hey, you wanna talk?" He heard a familiar voice whisper. Of course, when he felt the warm body slide into the bed next to him, he felt muscles relax that he hadn't even realized were tense. Dillon had that effect.

"Nah, I'm fine..." He lied, closing his eyes and burrowing into the pillow. He felt a warm hand slide down his back, causing him to tremble slightly.

"Zig, I know you're worried. About everything." There was a silence as he was turned over to face Dillon. The black ranger looked incredibly serious, everything considered. "Look. I'm a little shaken up, I'll admit that. What happened in the forest... I was thinking about it."

"You think?" He grinned sheepishly, feeling Dillon pull him closer.

The black ranger had a small smile on his face as they met in a short kiss, just enough to  console Ziggy's thoughts. "Look, what we did was because of our instincts, not some virus. While we weren't in control, our bodies still wanted that... uh... contact." Ziggy nodded slowly, nuzzling against the black ranger. "See, that's what I mean!"

"I guess... You're right." Ziggy closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of Dillon surrounding him. He felt clear, he felt happy for once in his life. His fears and worries washed away, only to be replaced by content. Sleep was far from his mind when he whispered the next words, "I'd like more contact..."

When he felt Dillon pull him into another kiss, he just melted, falling into the sensations and allowing everything to play out around him. That night had been full of emotion, charged by the love of two young people, helping to heal their wounds and keep them safe.

* * *

 

And in the afterglow of their nightly activity, Dillon had Ziggy curled up in his arms, both of them silently kissing each other as the drowsiness kicked in. They had never felt so relaxed in their lives, and Dillon had no intentions on giving this up. It was special, it was his...

"I love you Dillon," He heard Ziggy murmur in a quiet voice.

And as Ziggy drifted off into sleep, he heard, "I love you Ziggy Grover."

Maybe the forceful bonds of the two rangers were good after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it was rather rushed at the end, but I still enjoyed how the story turned out. Will I visit this specific AU again for other stories with the mind link? Probably not... But I hope you all liked the story, and I'll see you guys later!
> 
> ~Cenobia100


End file.
